Shattered Illusions
by angel74
Summary: HPRW, A car accident leads to some unexpected revelations that Harry has long tried to keep secret. Will he reach out to his best friend’s family when he needs it most or will he accept his cruel fate?
1. The Accident

**Shattered Illusions **

**By:** angel74

**Summary:** AU This story takes place after the tri-wizard tournament in Harry's fourth year. This summer is turning out to be his worst yet as he suffers from nightmares about what happened to Cedric and he deals with the Dursleys' hatefulness. A car accident leads to some unexpected revelations that Harry has long tried to keep secret. Will he reach out to his best friend's family when he needs it most or will he accept his cruel fate?

**Disclaimer: **I have decided to say this _once_, and only once instead of posting it for every chapter. I do not own Harry Potter or any other of J.K. Rowling's wonderful characters. I only want to play in her world. I intend this story to be merely for pleasure, not profit.

**Pairing:** HP/RW

**Genre:** Angst/Romance

**Rating:** R (just in case), but more likely it will be PG-13

**Warnings:** child abuse, domestic violence, male/male pairings (yes, this will be slash!)

**Spoilers:** SS, CoS, PoA, and GoF

**Chapter 1- The Accident**

"_Kill the Spare!" A flash of green light filled his vision and Harry knew instantly that the boy beside him was dead._

"_Nooo…." He screamed as Cedric's lifeless body hit the ground. "I didn't mean for this to happen… I told him that we should take the cup together… that it would still be a Hogwart's victory…."_

Harry was in the throws of yet another nightmare about that fateful night in which Lord Voldemort was resurrected. Since he retuned to the Dursleys' he had been reliving that awful experience almost every night, unable to get past the guilt that he felt for causing yet another death.

Just as Wormtail was taking his blood in his dream, Harry suddenly felt the covers thrown off him and onto the floor. He felt somewhat disoriented from being startled awake so abruptly and had to think about where he was currently. Opening his eyes quickly he stared up into the face of his mother's sister, who looked thoroughly angry with him. Without his glasses on her features were a blur of color, but he could tell that her face was twisted up furiously. Reacting instinctively, Harry scooted backwards on his bed until he was wedged into the corner between his headboard and the wall. He wasn't afraid of Aunt Petunia, but seeing that menacing look on her face was quite unsettling.

"Boy! You better stop your incessant screaming and get that lazy arse of yours out of bed into the kitchen before your Uncle comes downstairs. He is not in a good mood today, so don't get in his way. I shouldn't have to remind you to wake up at a proper time to make us breakfast."

"Yes, Aunt Petunia," said Harry dejectedly. He grabbed his glasses from his nightstand and slipped them into place. She gave him one last look to make her point and left him alone in his room. During that brief moment, Harry stole another glance at her face and confirmed what he had noticed earlier; she had another black eye.

After she left, he scooted off the bed and grabbed his work clothes from the floor. They were really just an old pair of Dudley's overly large pants and a long sleeved t-shirt that he wore each day. They smelled rather awful after not having been washed in a few days, but Harry didn't care, especially since where he worked tended to smell much worse.

He pulled the clothes onto his small frame as quickly as possible, trying not to aggravate his injuries any further. He was extremely tired from the lack of a good night's sleep, and his body protested every movement he made. He was still getting over a cold to make matters worse, and he found himself trying to stifle his lingering cough.

He then made his way downstairs to begin making breakfast. By now this task had become routine and he was fairly sure he could do it with his eyes closed: start a pot of coffee, cook the eggs and bacon in separate skillets, and toast some bread. Thankfully, he was alone in the kitchen. He savored these few precious moments of peace he had each morning and actually looked forward to them each day. Lost in his own thoughts, he had no way of knowing that the events that would occur this evening would ultimately change his life forever.

He knew better than to eat anything that he made for his so-called family. Instead he ate his standard breakfast, which usually consisted of a piece of fruit, as he stared outside into the back yard. Occasionally he would stir the contents of each pan, making sure that nothing burned.

Harry sighed deeply, thinking about what his life had come to. He was really nothing more than a house elf to his relatives, and the pressure of pleasing his uncle by working _and_ doing the house chores was becoming overwhelming. Nothing he did seemed to satisfy his uncle and any little mistake he made was punished severely. If he had a choice in the matter he would run away from the Dursleys and never looked back, but being the Boy-Who-Lived complicated matters greatly. Dumbledore had explained to him that he had some sort of blood protection while he stayed with his relatives. If he were to leave, Voldemort and his Death Eaters would surely find and kill him without a second thought. And right now it seemed that he was number one on their hit list.

It wasn't as if he had anywhere to go anyway. Sirius and Remus were currently on a mission for Dumbledore, and Harry was told not to send an owl to his godfather unless it was absolutely necessary because it may give away their current location. Besides there was no real chance that Harry could ever live with him while he was still a wanted criminal.

Harry had once thought about contacting Ron or Hermione about his predicament, but quickly decided that it was a bad idea. He had kept his home life hidden from them for so long that they would probably hate him for lying to them. When he first was introduced to the wizarding world, he wanted desperately to be a "normal" kid, (well as normal as can be when you are the Boy-Who-Lived) so he kept the true nature of his home life hidden.

He had tried to keep up the illusion that everything was fine with the Dursleys, but his friends were quick to pick up minor details that he hadn't given much thought to; like living in a cupboard or doing endless chores. They knew very little about the Dursleys and that which they did know infuriated them to no end. If he admitted the truth they would feel obligated to tell the headmaster, and he didn't want them meddling with things they did not understand.

When he was eight years old, Harry had tried to tell a teacher about what was happening to him at home, but the whole situation had turned rather ugly. Uncle Vernon had some inside connections at the time, and the paperwork and scheduled home visit had been delayed for so long that there was no longer any proof of any wrong doing. His teacher was publicly humiliated for making false accusations and quit her job. In the end, Harry learned his lesson, _harshly_.

Even if he did try to get help, what would happen to him? Inevitably he would be sent to an orphanage or a foster home of some kind. He had been brainwashed at an early age to believe that was the last place on earth that a kid would want to go; like it was some kind of awful prison system. The Dursleys even threatened to leave him at one whenever they felt he was misbehaving. Lately, he had been wondering if he would have been better off there in the first place. Maybe he could have been adopted into a family that could have loved him. In any case, he was too old for anything like that to happen now.

Harry missed Hogwarts desperately, and counted down the days until he would be able to return. As much as he wanted to see his friends, he knew that they were safer away from him. That much he learned from his experiences last year. He had thought about trying to distance himself from them next year, but he knew that they would probably see through his efforts instantly.

Then again there was the chance that Ron and Hermione might not want anything to do with him after what happened during the third task of the Triwizard Tournament. He hadn't even received so much as an Owl from them yet, and he was unable to contact them because he had sent Hedwig to stay with the Weasleys for her own safety. Vernon had threatened on more than one occasion that he would "throttle that ruddy bird if I hear so much as a peep." Harry couldn't let that happen. Part of him knew deep down that the headmaster had probably requested that they didn't try to communicate with him for security purposes, but there was still a lingering doubt that they might not want to be his friend anymore.

The loss of their friendship would be devastating. He and Ron had argued most of their fourth year and it had been almost unbearable. Ron was one of the most important people in his life, and he couldn't handle it if it were to happen again.

"You better get going," said a voice suddenly. Harry looked up from his cooking and saw his aunt enter the kitchen. She appeared to be holding her left arm to her waist like it was too painful to move. He was fairly sure that her arm wasn't hurt yesterday. He wondered what had happened last night or this morning that Vernon had taken his frustrations out on her. "Go on… I'll finish up…"

Harry nodded sullenly as he walked past his aunt. She took his place by the stove and began to serve up the eggs and bacon on a plate, taking care not to jostle her sprained arm. Thankful that he didn't have to deal with his uncle this morning, he walked out the front door and began making his way up the street towards his job. He had to stop a few times when he had a coughing fit, but otherwise his walk was uneventful.

As he walked, his thoughts brought him back to the events that had transpired so far this summer. Vernon had become particularly violent this year, especially after he had lost his drill business. Of course the Dursleys had blamed his failure on Harry, believing that his "unnaturalness" had somehow caused the company to go bankrupt. In the past the main outlet for his frustrations had been Harry, but now it appeared that his uncle was willing to take his anger out on anyone that happened to be in the way; including his wife Petunia.

The first time it happened, it was a surprise to everyone. Dudley had been finishing his dinner while Harry was washing up the dishes when his aunt and uncle excused themselves to the living room. They began arguing about how they were going to pay the bills without any money, when Vernon hauled off and slapped her across the face. Though the two boys were in the kitchen, they had heard what had happened and were stunned into silence. They had heard them argue countless times before, but never had it come to physical abuse. Neither knew what to do, so they did nothing. Vernon apologized later and said that it would never happen again. Petunia, who desperately wanted to believe him, forgave her husband almost instantly and went about her business as if nothing had happened.

That one incident opened the door for many others. The next month that followed was one of the most difficult in the lives of both Harry and Petunia. Unfortunately, instead of bringing them together, it tore them apart. His aunt truly believed that Harry brought out Vernon's aggressive behavior because of his "freakishness." She refused to admit that there might be something wrong in their marriage. In her mind, Harry was the root of all their problems and resented him for it thoroughly. He sometimes wondered if she might be right.

Harry occasionally tried to fight back, but it always resulted in a much harsher punishment than usual. Harry learned long ago that his uncle was much too large and strong for him to defend himself properly, so he stopped trying.

The only one that didn't seem to incur Vernon's wrath was Dudley, who took as much pleasure in bullying Harry around as his father did. He was a regular chip off the old block that one was. It was as if he was seeking revenge for the Ton Tongue Toffee incident that the Weasley twins had pulled on him last year. Dudley liked to help keep Harry in line when his father wasn't around. Vernon had finally gotten a job working in a factory as a floor manager. Unfortunately, it didn't pay nearly as much as he made before and the family had to make a lot of sacrifices as a result.

Because money was so tight, Harry had been forced to take a job at a local veterinarian, who didn't mind underage kids helping them out in the back rooms. The Dursleys had been greatly relieved to learn that Harry would have little if no interaction with the clients. They had been worried that someone may learn that he wasn't "normal."

Harry was somewhat resentful that Petunia and Dudley weren't working also, but since it got him out of the house and kept him busy, he didn't dwell on it too much. At least the work kept his mind off of more depressing things, like Cedric's death. The down side to the whole situation was that his weekly checks were mailed directly to the Dursleys' house and he never saw a penny of it. It didn't bother him too badly because he knew that if he ever truly needed money he could just go make an exchange at Gringott's.

Harry knew that he probably shouldn't be away from the Dursleys' household for so many hours at a time with the protection charm and all, especially after what Dumbledore had told him about taking precautions. He had tried to explain all of this to his relatives, but they didn't want to hear what he had to say. Seeing that the vet was located in downtown Little Whining only a few blocks away, he figured it was safe enough to walk to and from work each day.

It was a nasty job, and Harry hated every minute of it. His ten hour day consisted of cleaning up the exam rooms and taking care of the cats and dogs boarded in the kennels. He thought at first that this would be a simple task until he realized how many times a day that he would have clean and re-clean all the messes that went on in the clinic. He was sure that the Dursleys took pleasure in knowing that he cleaned up dog poop all day long. His only joy in his job was playing with the animals that were boarded there.

He finally crossed the last remaining streets and cut through an alleyway as he neared the vet. The backdoor near the empty parking lot had been propped open for him and he let himself in. The customers wouldn't start arriving for another hour or so.

The clinic's doctor was checking on some of the patients that had surgery yesterday when he entered. "Hey, Harry," he said, not even looking up from his examinations in the cages. He was a man of few words and treated Harry mainly with disdain. The Dursleys told the doctor that Harry attended St. Brutus's Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys because he was a delinquent, and that he needed the job to set him on the right path again.

"Hey," he replied walking past the man quickly. Harry didn't care for the vet's cold attitude all that much, and stayed out of his way as much as possible. He reminded him a little too much of his uncle for his liking. After punching in his time card in the staff lounge, he set to work cleaning out and spraying down the many kennels, mindful of his bruised and tired body all the while.

As he worked he remembered that one of the receptionists up front had another big family barbeque at her home last night. He hoped that she had thought to bring in the left overs to share with the others like she did last time. If not, Harry would go hungry again until dinner that night. The Dursleys wouldn't allow him to pack a lunch, and he didn't have any spending money to buy anything to eat along the way. The other few employees hadn't really noticed his lack of meals because they all ate separately throughout the day whenever they had a moment or two. When asked if he had eaten, Harry came up with an elaborate lie about what he had packed that day. Drinking lots of water seemed to hold the hunger at bay.

He knew that he was getting extremely thin and he hated lying to his co-workers, but there wasn't much he could do about it. At least he was able to eat when he came home from work. Whatever the Dursleys hadn't eaten at their dinner, Harry was allowed to have. Most of the time it wasn't much more than a chicken leg or some vegetables that weren't cooked properly, but at least it was something. It was a lot more than he got when Dudley was dieting.

…

"Bye Dr. Haslett. I'll see you tomorrow," said Harry tiredly as he finished checking on all the animals.

"Yeah, see ya," replied the aging gentleman as he let the young boy out. Harry sometimes wondered what had possessed the older man to ever go into veterinary medicine when he clearly didn't like the job. He had never once seen him crack a smile or even respond the animals affectionately. It was something of an enigma to Harry.

Much to his surprise, it was pouring down with rain when he got outside. Being indoors all day in an area devoid of windows, he wouldn't have been able to notice any of the storm clouds rolling in. He was without an umbrella, and he felt rather disheartened at the sight of the down pour because of what occurred the last time he came home soaking wet. He had tried to get rid of as much water as possible before coming inside the Dursley residence, but as fate would have it he got the floors soaking wet nonetheless. Petunia had been furious when she discovered him trying to clean up the mess he had made, but Vernon had been even angrier. Harry had been truly afraid of his uncle that night, and it was the first time he wondered if he would make it back to school in the fall.

It was late in the evening, and the black clouds made the twilight seem somehow darker than usual. He hated to walk home in this dark and stormy weather because it wasn't going to help his cold any. It also made him feel much more vulnerable to an attack, but he didn't have much of a choice. At least he had enough sense to carry his wand with him at all times. He neatly tucked it up his long sleeve each day before he left for work just in case he was ever attacked by Death Eaters. He didn't care if he was an underage wizard or not. If he encountered a threat, he would do whatever was necessary to protect himself.

It was much colder than it had been earlier and Harry found himself shivering slightly. The rain must have brought a cold front with it. He didn't want to be late getting home so he shoved his hands into his pockets and jogged out into the rain, turning his head to one side in order to see as he splashed through the cold spray. Just as he reached the side street, a car came whizzing up beside him.

Harry was surprised to see that it was his uncle's black Ford Escort. The driver's side window rolled down to reveal Vernon's massive face.

"Get in boy!" Vernon said pointing to the passenger side. Harry stood there numb with shock. He had never been picked up from work before, and he couldn't imagine why he was now.

"But… why…" he stammered stupidly.

"Your aunt and I don't want you to come home and make another mess. Now get in the car before I have to get out and come get you!" he shouted angrily, his words slightly slurred. Harry wondered briefly if his uncle might be drunk, but knew that if he didn't get in the car that it would be a lot worse for him later.

Without another word, Harry walked around the front of the car and climbed into the passenger side. He was grateful that he was out of the rain, but he was a little confused by the situation. He wouldn't make a mess in the house now, but he was still soaking wet from the short time he spent outside. He realized now that he was getting the seat he was sitting on wet instead, and wondered if he would be blamed for this somehow.

Feeling rather uncomfortable about his situation, he buckled in just as Vernon gave him a hateful glare. Harry stared out at the dismal scenery wondering what would transpire later tonight. It was getting to the point that he would rather live on the streets and have to face Death Eaters than to spend another night in his hateful relatives household.

His uncle pulled onto the main street quickly and merged with the traffic. A strong smell of alcohol wafted his way, and Harry felt his heart quicken. He had been drinking after all. He silently prayed that they would get home in one piece, and that when they got there that he stayed in one piece. This was bad, very bad. Vernon was known to drink and drive, but never when there was someone else in the car.

They drove on in relative silence as they listened to the sound of the rain drumming against the car's roof. Harry had to fight the urge to cough on several occasions for fear his uncle might yell at him for spreading his germs. His normally messy black hair was plastered against his head in spiking tendrils that dripped water on his shirt and onto the back of his seat. He removed his glasses to wipe away some of the remaining water droplets, sending his world into a temporary blur of color. When he replaced them once again, something Vernon was doing caught his attention.

Uncle Vernon was trying to hold a bottle of whiskey and the steering wheel with one hand, while trying to unscrew the cap with the other. Not being able to accomplish this simple task, he took his eyes off the road in a moment of frustration. A moment was all it took.

"Uncle Vernon!" Harry shouted to get his attention, and pointed ahead of him.

Vernon had failed to recognize that the car ahead of him had stopped to make a right hand turn. Realizing that they were about to rear end it, Vernon swerved the car wildly into the left hand lane. They cleared the stopped vehicle without incident, but their black Escort was now moving out of control. Vernon then swerved back towards the right lane once more to avoid a red Renault that was moving more slowly than them on the left side of the road. This quick maneuver caused the car rock dangerously back and forth.

Vernon tried to slow the vehicle down by stomping on the brakes, but the tires locked up and began squealing loudly. Unfortunately, the road was so slick with water that their car suddenly slid sideways into oncoming traffic. It had all happened so quickly that Harry looked around frantically to figure out what was going on when he saw headlights coming directly at them.

"No!" he screamed. Before Harry knew what was happening their car was struck by another vehicle with a sickening sound of metal hitting metal. It slammed into the front passenger side at full speed before it even had a chance to decelerate. The other driver probably didn't even realize what had happened.

So many things occurred in that fraction of a moment that it took Harry's brain quite a while later to sort everything out. The air bags had deployed instantly, smacking Harry and his uncle in the face to prevent any forward movement into the windshield or dashboard. As they deflated the car was filled with a dusty gas that made Harry choke painfully. Harry was pretty sure from the centrifugal force he had sensed that the car has spun around 360 degrees after it had been struck. Opening his eyes cautiously he could see through the rain that they were now rolling to a stop on the opposite side of the road. Cars could be heard honking and slamming on their brakes in all directions to avoid the accident.

When the car finally came to a stop, Harry looked over to where his uncle was sitting. He couldn't see very clearly because the lens on the left side of his glasses had cracked. The large man appeared to be unconscious, and from the look of the cut on the right side of his forehead he must have sustained some sort of head injury, probably from the driver's side window. There was also a lot of blood on his right forearm, and bone could be seen protruding through the broken skin.

Sickened by the sight, Harry turned his head away quickly and felt instantly dizzy. His head was swimming now as he slowly began to register that he was in pain. He reached a hand slowly to his head wondering if he somehow had hit his head as well, when a sharp pain on the left side of his chest took his breath away. He must have hurt his already bruised ribs in the accident. He moved slightly to his right to lessen the pain in his left side and felt a muscle twinge painfully in his lower back. Glancing downwards he saw that his left ankle was twisted strangely to the right. When he straightened it, the agony that shot up through his leg caused him to howl in pain.

"_No,"_ his mind screamed. "_No, no, no… this isn't happening! What am I going to do!"_

Just then a man who was talking on a mobile phone came up to their car and tried to open his door. After several attempts at tugging on the latch, he gave up and knocked on his window to make sure he had his attention.

"Are you okay?" he shouted through the glass.

"I don't know," Harry replied sadly. He knew he was hurt, but to what extent he was unable to determine.

"We're going to get you out as soon as possible, son. Just hang in there," he said. He turned away from the vehicle and continued to talk on his mobile, probably talking to the authorities about the accident.

Harry didn't even try to nod at him; he just stared at the man trying to quell the tears that pricked at the corner of his eyes. He felt very alone and vulnerable in that moment, and he had no idea what was going to happen to him. There wasn't any way that he could contact anyone in the wizarding world for help now. He knew that he was hurt and that the paramedics would probably take him to the hospital. But he couldn't let that happen because then they would all know what he had been trying to hide for nearly 13 years. He had never been so scared. Life as he knew it was crumbling down around him.

**Please read and review!**


	2. Everyday Heroes

A/N: I was glad to get such a nice response from my loyal readers and even some new ones. I'm very excited about this fic and I'm glad that you are too. I had sent my beta the first two chapters and she got them done rather quickly, which is why I posting another chapter for this story so soon. Don't worry I'll post the next chapter for the other story within a week or so.

**Chapter 2- Everyday Heroes**

The paramedics seemed to take an agonizingly long time in order to get to the scene of the accident. Although there were only two cars involved, a lot of traffic had to be cleared in order to get through. Fortunately, the down pour that had been plaguing them ended rather quickly, which helped matters greatly. Several police cars showed up, as well as a fire truck in order to assess the situation and control the cars passing by the scene. They had turned off their sirens, but left on their warning lights. The brilliant colors swirled dizzyingly on top of each cruiser, alerting everyone of the danger.

Harry waited, rather impatiently, as he shivered against the cold for help to arrive. He was still soaked to the bone and the cold was starting to seep into his skin. He tried to take his mind off the awful pain, but it only seemed to get worse and worse. He wondered where the man that had tapped on his window had gone, but figured that he must be talking to one of the police officers.

As much as Harry wanted to walk away from the scene, he was stuck. The impact had caused his passenger side door to become jammed within the frame. Vernon's door opened more easily, but the fire fighters on duty still had to wrench it open in order to gain access to his uncle. They didn't have any luck on his door and seemed to be searching for something to open it. As soon as the paramedics arrived they set to work examining his uncle's injuries. Harry watched as they took care of him, but he was completely unresponsive to everything that they tried.

"Are you okay?" a young woman asked him as she set her medical kit down beside the car. She bent down and began to take his uncle's pulse with her fingers, while she searched Harry's face for answers.

"I…I-I'm not s-sure…" he said. "My ankle and my head hurts pretty bad…"

"Did you pass out at all?" she asked, undoing his uncle's seat belt.

"No, I don't think so…"

"Anything else?" she asked hurriedly, searching her kit for her supplies.

"My left side and my back too," he admitted.

"Okay. What's your name kid?" grabbing her clipboard to write down what he said. She was very business like as she worked. Harry assumed she had to be in order to see the kind of things she saw on a daily basis.

"Harry…Harry Potter," he said weakly. He wasn't sure if it was right or not to give her his full name, but seeing that she was a Muggle, he didn't see the harm in it. "My uncle's name is Vernon Dursley." She nodded, adding the information to her notes.

"How old are you?"

"Fourteen…"

"Really?" she asked with surprise. He nodded. From the look she gave him she probably assumed that he was much younger. He was still rather small for his age, and the lack of food while staying with the Dursleys probably hadn't helped his condition.

"My name is Shelly. We're going to take good care you… don't you worry… try not to move if possible," she replied as she watched him shift uncomfortably in his seat as he began to cough again. He winced in pain as his left side flared up again.

"Harry, this here is Brian," she informed him as an older man knelt down beside the vehicle in front of her.

"Hey kiddo," Brian said. "We will have you out of there as soon as possible."

Harry watched absentmindedly as he began to wrap his uncle's arm in a pressure bandage. Shelly then began to assess Vernon's head wound. She used some swabs to clean it and then placed a few butterfly stitches over the cut to hold him over until they got to the hospital. Brian then began pressing his hands all over Vernon's body looking for more injuries. At one point he heard his uncle moan as the paramedic pressed down on his abdomen. Shelly and Brian gave each other a knowing look.

"Will you guys hurry up!" Brian called over his shoulder. "We need to get them to the hospital a.s.a.p."

Another male paramedic approached them from behind, pulling a gurney from the ambulance. He handed Brian the blanket and nodded towards Harry. "They got the jaws. We're all set."

"Listen, Harry," said Brian as he leaned across his uncle and draped the blanket over his shivering body. "We're going to get your uncle out, and then we're going to help you. Okay?" He grabbed the back board from the gurney and set to work getting his uncle out of the car.

Harry nodded ever so slightly, grateful for the small amount of warmth the blanket provided.

Shelly climbed into the back seat from the driver's side and helped Brian slip the back board beneath Vernon Dursley. With the help of the other paramedic, the three of them maneuvered the large man out of the vehicle once he was secure on the back board. They placed him on the gurney that had been lowered next to the vehicle, making sure not to cause him any further injury. One of the fire fighters then wheeled his uncle away towards one of the awaiting ambulances.

Once his uncle had been removed, they discovered the bottle of whiskey lying suspiciously on the floor. Harry realized that it must have fallen from his hands during the accident. He was really scared that his uncle was going to get in trouble over this, but he was more afraid that Vernon would somehow blame him. Shelly looked at the bottle angrily and sighed deeply.

"Officer Jeperson?" Shelly called to one of the police officers, who were standing near some witnesses taking their statements. "I think you should come see this."

"Yeah, what do you got?" asked the officer.

Shelly held up the bottle to him as she said, "I smelt it on his breath too."

"What's the boy's name?"

"Harry…"

"Hey Harry…" said the officer, leaning into the vehicle. "Do you now what happened in the accident?"

"Not really…" he lied. Maybe if he said nothing at all his uncle wouldn't punish him later for it.

The officer looked at him skeptically, but let it go when he saw the fire fighters approach his side of the vehicle. "I'll talk to you later, Harry," he said before stepping away to talk to the witnesses again.

"Listen, honey, these men have to cut into car with something called the Jaws of Life in order to get you out. It's going to make a lot of noise, but we won't let anything happen to you," Shelly explained.

Harry felt guilty that they were going through all of this trouble just for him. "You don't have to do that. I can just crawl out the driver's side."

"No, you won't! Harry I know you think you're okay, but the type of accident you were in was pretty serious. We need to get you on a backboard, but we can't get you out through the driver's side. It's too hard to maneuver," she tried to explain when he looked at her questioningly. "People sometimes have back and neck injuries that they don't even know about and we can't risk injuring you any further. Okay?"

Harry nodded and looked at her fearfully when he heard the machine that they were going to use come to life. "It's okay, I'm right beside you," she said sweetly, grabbing his hand. "I'm going to remove your broken glasses and cover your face with the blanket just in case. Don't go to sleep on me…"

"I won't…" Harry replied.

Ten minutes later, the door to the passenger side had been cut off and Harry found himself lying flat on his back on a gurney. Like his uncle, he was strapped to a backboard to prevent further injury. He found it rather uncomfortable, especially since his lower back was aching so a bad.

They wheeled him to an awaiting ambulance and lifted the gurney gently inside. Shelly and Brian climbed in beside him after taking a few pictures of the accident. Thankfully the ambulance was really warm, and he felt relieved to be out of the cold. The pair placed several blankets over him to keep him warm. He was still soaking wet, however, so it was difficult to find much comfort. Brian banged on the window that separated the cabin from the driver to let him know that they were all set.

"Where are you taking me?" Harry asked suddenly. He never in his life ever thought that he would be riding in an ambulance and he wasn't sure what to expect.

"St. Andrews Hospital," Brain replied.

Harry did not have a lot of experience with Muggle doctors since the Dursleys had almost never took him in for medical help. He had come to rely on the care offered by Madame Pomfrey, and wasn't sure what to expect. The idea of going to the hospital frightened him, especially because of what they would discover if they tried to examine him. "Uh… you don't have to… really… I'm not hurt that bad…" he tried to reason.

"Yes, you are honey," Shelly insisted. "Now just relax, everything will be alright." Nothing could feel further from the truth.

Together Brain and Shelly checked Harry out thoroughly, taking his vitals and asking him if various parts of his abdomen hurt when they pressed down on it.

They knew that his ribs were clearly injured, but could not determine to what extent without the proper equipment.

Shelly then wiped away some blood on the left side of his face, and he was surprised to see how much there was. He had no idea he had even been bleeding. He could feel her clean his wound and place some butterfly stitches over it just as she had done with his uncle.

"That's an unusual scar on your forehead," she said, gesturing her towards his infamous lightning bolt. "How did you get it?"

"Car accident," he lied.

"You don't have much luck, do you?" she asked good-naturedly.

"You have no idea," he replied grumpily. "Where are my glasses?"

"I have them," Shelly replied, holding them up. "I'll give them to one of the nurses to keep safe for you."

"Okay," Harry replied. He didn't know why, but it somehow seemed important to him that he got them back. They reminded him of his father since everyone told him how much they looked alike, and they had become part of his personality in a way.

"Is there someone I should contact for you… maybe your parents… do you have an aunt?" asked Brian.

Harry quickly explained his parents were dead and that he lived with his aunt and uncle. He gave them the Dursleys' number so that they could contact her about her husband. He knew that she wouldn't care what happened to him, but she deserved to know about Vernon.

The ambulance driver must have been using his warning lights, but would only fire his siren occasionally when he needed to clear the traffic. The ride was a lot bumpier than Harry expected it to be, and it was amazing that the paramedics could move around like they did. At one point Brian reached up to grab a bag of saline and accidentally knocked Harry's left ankle as the ambulance lurched to the side during a turn. He cried out painfully and tried to sit up, only to find himself still restrained to the backboard.

"His ankle! Watch out Brian," said Shelly roughly. She seated her self near his foot and gently undid the laces to his trainers so that she could ease his foot out. Despite her best efforts, it still hurt painfully. "I'm not sure if it's broken or not. They'll have to do x-rays when we get to the hospital."

After pushing up his sleeve, Brian made a few attempts to get an IV started on him, but was having a lot of difficulty. He explained that it was because Harry was so cold and that it was hard to find a vein. He slid the window back to talk to the driver, and the ambulance slowed down near an intersection. Harry felt a pinch in the crook of his left arm as Brian inserted the IV as quickly as possible. He banged on the window again, and they were moving quickly once more.

As they neared the hospital Harry found the courage to ask, "What about my uncle… and the other car… what happened to them?"

"Your uncle has a pretty serious head injury and will be taken into surgery to repair the compound fracture in his arm. He may also have some internal injuries. We won't know his condition until he is out of surgery. There was only the driver in the other vehicle, but I don't know how hurt he was. I only know that he was unconscious as well. They were both taken to St. Andrews too, so you should be able to ask the doctors about their conditions."

"Here we are," said Brian as the ambulance backed to the receiving doors at the Emergency Department. He took the bag of saline off the hook and placed it on top of the small teen.

The back doors opened and Harry felt the gurney being lifted to the ground. The cold hit him once more and felt himself shivering again. He was quickly wheeled into the building, but Harry couldn't see much of anything from his position. He watched as ceiling tile after ceiling tile passed by overhead. The paramedics were speaking to several people that Harry presumed were doctors and nurses about his condition and showing them pictures of the accident.

Harry was shivering a little more violently now and his teeth were chattering uncontrollably. He couldn't seem to get warm even though he was inside and out of the cold summer's night. His wet clothes only added to his discomfort.

Shelly looked down at him worriedly. "I think he's going into shock," she informed one of the doctors.

They finally reached one of the trauma rooms, and Harry felt more and more nervous about what would happen to him. "I'm alright… really…" he tried to say, but his chattering teeth weren't making his words very clear.

"On 3," he heard Brian say. "1, 2, 3…" Suddenly he was lifted off the small ambulance gurney and placed onto a slightly larger hospital gurney.

A few blankets that had been warmed up were placed on top of him in the hope of bringing him out of the shock he was going into. The saline IV bag was hung once again beside him, and Harry could see each drop fall from the bag into the little collection tube before it finally trickled its way towards his veins.

People seemed to be swarming all around him and he didn't understand what was going on. A bright light was shone in both of his eyes and he heard a female doctor calling his name. "Harry, I'm Doctor Wang… do you know where you are?'

"St. Andrews…" he muttered, through chattering teeth.

"Do you know why you're here?" the Asian doctor then asked.

"Car accident…" he said, his throat thickening painfully.

Harry could see Officer Jeperson hovering around in the background, and he wondered if he was in trouble somehow. He must have followed them to the hospital to get his statement for his report. Dr. Wang spoke again, "Can you tell me what happened?"

"Not sure…" he replied, sticking to his story.

"Well, we're going to take good care of you," she replied.

Four hospital employees lined up on either side of Harry, and he was suddenly rolled up painfully onto his right side so that they could take away the backboard. Each Velcro strap was carefully removed and slipped under his body until he was free of the long plank. His neck and shoulders remained in a brace however, and his body lay across their arms so that he remained propped up on his side. Harry thought for sure that they were going to lay him back down, but instead he felt a couple pairs of scissors begin cutting off his wet clothes. He began shaking like a leaf once again, only this time in fear instead of from the cold.

"No, don't!" he said quickly, beginning to struggle. "I'm fine really. Please don't cut off my clothes!"

Shelly, the paramedic, came around to his side and knelt down beside him.

"Harry, they have to do this in order to help you. It's okay, really… I need to go now though, okay, honey… there's been another accident. Don't worry… you're in good hands…" The paramedics had to go rescue some other poor soul, but Harry didn't care. He didn't want to be left alone. Shelly and Brian were his heroes in a way, and it saddened him to think he would never see them again. They were everyday heroes… not the hope-of-the-world kind of heroes… real ones.

"My glasses…" was all he could manage to say as he lay against the strangers' arms.

"Already gave them to the head nurse… bye Harry… take care," she said. She gently patted his wet hair and left quickly with Brian.

Harry couldn't bring himself to say goodbye to Shelly. The one person who had showed him some compassion had to leave him, and he was feeling very vulnerable and alone. He didn't know these people… he didn't know what was happening to him…. He didn't even want to think about what would happen once his clothes were removed.

Panic quickly rose up his chest and he was finding it difficult to breathe. "Calm down, Harry, we're almost done," said one of the nurses. "Don't feel embarrassed, we're professionals."

He felt his pants and shirt removed from his body, and he was feeling a little drafty. Suddenly, there was a collected gasp, and he knew what they must be seeing.

"Oh god…" said one of the nurses.

"Do you think…" said another.

"Grab the camera," replied Dr. Wang.

One of the nurses grabbed the trauma room camera and quickly took a couple of the injuries on his back. Dr. Wang studied him closely and while another doctor wrote down what she dictated.

"No…"cried Harry pitifully, squeezing his eyes tightly to prevent the tears from falling. He had never been more embarrassed in his entire life. Not only was he naked in front of all these people, but they were witness to his uncle's brutality.

They gently rolled him back onto his back, being careful not hurt his injured ribs or his back. Harry wanted to desperately to look away, but his head was confined inside of the head and neck brace. All he could do was continue squeezing his eyes tightly.

He felt the warm blankets rolled down gently and his chest and abdomen was exposed. He was grateful that they were kind enough to keep his privates covered, but he knew that his front was just as bad as his back. A few more pictures were taken and Harry felt a tear leak out of the corner of his eye. Dr. Wang continued to dictate his many injuries, describing the size and location of each of his bruises, both old and new. He hadn't been aware that he had been burned by the seatbelt until he felt her gently touch each tender region across his hips and the center of his chest.

"What's this?" asked one of the nurses suddenly, holding up a slender piece of wood that she had found in the bedding.

"I don't know," replied another nurse. "Where did it come from?"

"I think it was in his sleeve… Harry, is this yours?" she asked him.

He stared at her with wide eyes upon seeing his precious wand in her hands. He had forgotten all about it with everything that had happened. "Yes…" he whispered.

She looked at him funny as if she wanted to ask what it was and why he had it with him, but instead she said, "Okay. I'll keep it safe with your glasses."

"Thanks…"

Dr. Wang than began to listen to his chest with a stethoscope. She moved it to various positions around his heart and asked Harry to breathe deeply. Her brow was furrowed with concern, and she began to issue orders to the nurses in her charge.

He then felt several sticky patches stuck to his upper body around his heart and lungs, which were then connected to wires that led to a heart monitor. A hospital gown was placed over his body, and someone gently pulled his arms through. His blankets were then taken away just as new, warmer ones, replaced them. He was tucked up to his chin and he began to feel somewhat warmer. His shivering slowly began to subside.

The once busy trauma room was deathly silent as everyone waited to hear what had happened to him. The doctor politely asked them all to leave for a moment while she questioned her patient. She took a few moments to study the monitor beside him before she began her interrogation.

"Harry…" said Dr. Wang carefully, as she sat down beside him. "Who hurt you?"

Harry refused to answer her question, and decided to ignore her. "Harry, was it your uncle? Has he been hurting you?"

"Leave me alone, please…" he moaned pitifully.

"I can't do that, Harry. Someone has been beating you…"

"No…"

"There are welts on your back like you have been beaten with a belt. You are covered in bruises…"

"It was the accident…"

"Harry… some of the bruises are days old…"

He didn't reply to what she said knowing there was nothing he could say now to change her mind. She knew the truth and that scared Harry immensely.

"We know that your uncle was drinking and driving, Harry. He may end up going to prison once he is out of the hospital. If you are afraid of what he may do to you if you tell… well, we can protect you. You would never have to go back there again…"

"You don't understand," said Harry pitifully, his emerald green eyes pleading with her to understand. "I have to go back…" _It's the only protection I have against Voldemort, _he wanted to add, but he knew she wouldn't understand.

"No, you don't Harry. I have already called social services. They are going to want to talk to you later on when you have had chance to rest…"

"No…" he cried.

"I'm sorry, Harry. But it's against the law for me not to report cases of child abuse. What kind of person would I be if I allowed you to go home to that monster?"

Harry didn't reply and just closed his eyes once again. He couldn't seem to stop the tears from falling his time. Dr. Wang brushed aside a few wet strands of hair and stood up.

"It'll be alright, Harry. I promise. I'm going to give you some time to relax. Right now we're waiting on radiology to call you up to get some x-rays on your head, back, neck, chest, and abdomen. I can't give you any pain medicine until we know for sure what is wrong with you. One of the residents will be in shortly to stitch up that head wound as well."

She waited for a moment before she continued, like she expected Harry to say something.

"I'm a little concerned about your heart rate too. A resting heart rate is 60-70 beats per minute. Your heart rate is fluctuating between 90 and 100, and I'm not sure why. I'm going to talk to the head of cardiology and he may want to test your blood for enzymes to search for trauma. Try not to go to sleep just yet. The nurses will be in to check on you periodically so let them know what you need."

She waited again hoping that Harry would say something, but he remained quiet. She finally left him alone, and pulled the drapes to the trauma room closed so that he would have some privacy.

Finally alone, Harry could feel the full weight of what had happened to him tonight. He knew his life would never be the same again, and he wondered if he would still be able to keep his home life a secret from the wizarding world. That would probably be impossible. If he were sent to an orphanage Dumbledore would inevitably find out and retrieve him. Then everyone would know his secrets.

He was still in a lot of pain from the accident and he was surprised that they hadn't given him anything to dull yet. If he were in a wizarding hospital, he would have already been healed and on his way home. He was panicking and it felt like nothing would ever be right again.

Oh how he wished he still had his mother and father alive, and he was just a normal wizard. Deep down Harry was desperate for someone to comfort him, even if they weren't his parents. For some insane reason the one person he knew that would make him feel better was Ron. His best mate had an unusual ability to make him smile when nothing else would. And he always stayed with him when he was in the hospital at Hogwarts. If Ron were here everything would be okay. But Harry had no way to contact him. He was alone. Very alone and that scared him.

A/N: Just so you know I was in a pretty bad car accident last year, and this chapter was loosely based on my experience. I have no medical background, so I'm sorry if what I wrote isn't technically correct. I only have my own limited experience to go on. Needless to say, I was shocked when my own clothes were cut off my body. I wasn't as badly hurt as Harry, but I was in a lot of pain and they made me wait for any kind of medicine. The accident did change my life completely. I was on crutches for three months and had another four months of physical therapy after that because of my ankle. I still see a chiropractor once a week for a problem with my lower back and hips too, and it's been over a year! I think this story is partly an excuse to get out my frustrations over what happened, and to get two of my favorite boys together. Let me know what you think!

**Many thanks to all my readers and reviewers!**


	3. Feeling Helpless

**Chapter 3- Feeling Helpless**

_Meanwhile at the Burrow…_

"C'mon ickle Ronniekins-"

"- try it on!"

"But I don't understand. Where did this come from?" asked Ron, looking up at his mother as he fingered the soft navy blue fabric.

They had been surprised to see the three owls that had just dropped off the gift wrapped box flying outside the kitchen window in the midst of a growing storm. Amazingly, the large package had been addressed to Ron and it wasn't even his birthday. Peeling back the bright colored wrappings, he found a stunning formal dress robe within. Luckily the package had an impervious charm on it, so the rain hadn't damaged the contents inside.

"I don't know… it isn't from your father and me," his mum replied, a trace of sadness in her eyes. He knew that she would love to buy her children such nice things, but they simply couldn't afford it.

Ginny looked at the new robe longingly. Being the only girl in the family she wasn't forced to wear hand-me downs like the rest of them, but her wardrobe did consist of mostly second hand clothing that her mother bought in a thrift shop in Diagon Alley. Her things tended to be in better condition than her brothers', but it was rare that she ever got anything new. She had always dreamt of owning such a lovely robe herself.

"What if we said-" George began with a twinkle in his eye.

"-that the robe is from us," finished Fred.

"What?" replied Ron, Ginny, and their mother at once.

"Let's just say that we found a private investor for our future joke shop. He has generously donated a sum of money, and we wanted to do something nice for our little brother here," said George, pulling out the beautiful robe and holding it up to Ron to make sure that it would be long enough. The youngest Weasley was already taller than most of his brothers and was catching up to Bill rather fast.

"What private investor? Who in their right mind would back the two of you?" asked Ron, looking down at his new robe in amazement.

Fred shook his head in amusement. "There's a reason why they call it a _private_ investor."

"C'mon, just tell me who it is! Do I know this person?" Ron asked curiously, examining the sleeves of the new robe.

"We're not going to tell you. We've been sworn to secrecy, and neither of us are about to break that oath."

"I don't understand. What joke shop?" asked Molly uneasily, sliding into one of the kitchen chairs.

"Honestly, woman… did you think that our life's ambition was to become aurors?" replied George. "Do you even know us?"

"Well, of course, I just had hoped…" she began, her voice trailing off as her dreams for her sons were shattered once again. Mothers always wanted what was best for their children, and she felt that going into business for yourself was quite risky.

Then Fred added, "Why do you think we have been holed up in our rooms for so long everyday? We are in the process of extending the line of products for Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. We hope to open a shop in Diagon Alley when we graduate. Maybe even before!"

Both their eyes twinkled at the possibility of leaving school early to follow their dreams.

"No you won't! You will finish your education no matter what. And in regards to this joke shop venture… well, that's something we can discuss with your father when he comes home." Molly had stated her position so firmly that the twins didn't even attempt a rebuttal.

"What's the catch?" asked Ron, as he laid the garment back down onto the kitchen table.

"What do you mean?" asked George.

"I mean what do you want from me?" The tallest red head crossed his arms over his chest and looked upset about the whole situation.

Fred looked slightly hurt by the accusation and looked to his twin for support. "We don't want anything."

"Well, this has to be some kind of joke. You guys have never done anything nice for me before, so why start now?"

"We have our reasons…" was all they could say, looking at one another knowingly.

"How come I didn't get a robe?" asked Ginny suddenly, who looked rather put out that she had been forgotten.

Fred and George and looked at their little sister sadly and said, "We only could spare enough to buy this robe for Ron. The cost of the potion ingredients we need went up again this year. We need to be economical with our seed money," Fred replied. "Anyway, you got a nice robe last year…"

"Not as nice as this," she muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. She knew that Ron rarely got new things, but that didn't make her any less jealous.

"Well, whatever your reasons are, I'm proud of you both," said Molly Weasley, standing up again to kiss her twin sons on the cheek. "What a lovely gift you have given your brother… I know it will come to good use. Ron, take this upstairs and hang it up properly before it starts to crease."

"Yes, mum," said Ron, draping the new robe over his arm. He turned to walk upstairs, but remembered he had forgotten to do something. Turning back, he said, "Thanks, you guys. This means a lot to me. Sorry I was a git about the whole thing. You just caught me off guard."

"No problem," they replied together, smiling broadly at being able to do something so nice for him for a change.

Ron made his way up the several flights of stairs and entered his disorderly bedroom. Stepping over various clothing and piles of books and magazines, he walked towards the closet and found that there wasn't a hanger free. He scowled as he looked at all the ratty clothing that hung in his closet. At least he had something nice to hang up for once. Grabbing an old Weasley jumper that his mother had hand knitted, he threw it onto the floor and the used the hanger that it had been on to hang up his new robe on the back of the closet door. He couldn't bear to put it away just yet. It was just too amazing.

He admired the masculine cut the robe had and imagined himself wearing it to another ball. His last dress robe had looked more like maroon velvet dress. It had a moldy-looking lace frill at the collar and matching lace cuffs. He shuddered slightly as he remembered having to wear that awful thing at the Yule Ball. He had managed to use a severing charm to cut off the lace, but it was still an unsightly garment. Too bad he had had to walk around the rest of the night with the edges all frayed.

Finished admiring his new clothing, Ron walked over to pet Hedwig, who was perched near his window. Gazing outside, she looked upset that it was still raining. She ruffled her feathers to indicate just how irritated she was.

"Sorry girl. I know you want to go fly, I do too, but the weather is pretty bad out there," he said to her softly. He offered her an owl treat to make up for having to keep her indoors for so long, and she nipped his hand affectionately.

It had been almost a month since Harry had sent Hedwig to him, and he knew how much she missed him. Hell, Ron missed Harry too. Almost desperately.

He knew how much his friend was probably suffering while living with the Dursleys and there wasn't much he could do about it. He had repeatedly begged his mother to talk to Dumbledore about letting Harry come stay with them, but each time she returned from Hogwarts with a worrisome look on her face. "Not yet…" was all she could ever say.

Ron wasn't even allowed to write his friend for fear that Death Eaters may be watching the house for owls. Not only were they unable to communicate, but Ron also wasn't able to send him food packages like he did in the past. Which meant Harry was probably hungry.

His bloody relatives couldn't possibly understand what Harry had gone through last year. Harry needed to be in a supportive environment, not one in which he was forced to do chores like a slave. Ron had a hard time understanding everything that happened himself, mainly because he didn't know a lot of the details. His friend had been too traumatized to say much about it. What he did know scared him to no end.

Ron was fairly sure that Harry was probably still blaming himself for Cedric Diggory's death at the end of the tri-wizard tournament. That had been a scary time… for all of them.

He didn't have anything else to do, so he decided to browse through one of his old Quidditch magazines that had been stuffed between the bed and the wall. He flipped idly through the pages, but found he couldn't concentrate on what he was reading. He was still too worried about how Harry was taking everything. Pausing for a moment, he sat back on his bed and let his memories carry him back to that fateful day.

"_Mione, I don't see him! What's happened? Where did he go?" Ron shouted, standing up in the audience so that he could get a better look at the maze that lay before him._

"_I don't know. I think something must have happened. Look at the professors," she said pointing to the ground below. _

_All the professors had left their seats and were searching the maze and the surrounding area in a hurried pace. Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, looked outraged and was shouting at everyone near him to figure out what had happened. Something was definitely wrong!_

_The last time they had seen Harry he was about to take the cup with Cedric when he had suddenly vanished. What had happened? Was it a portkey? Was that supposed to happen?_

_Fear gripped Ron's heart as he pushed past the other spectators in the stands and made his way down the many flights of steps. All that mattered now was finding Harry. He had to make sure that he was okay and he would stop at nothing until he found him._

"_Ron, where are you going?" Hermione shouted, trying to keep up with his long strides once he had reached the ground._

"_I'm going to help the professors. There must be something that I can do," he replied, not even looking back at her. He felt his body go into a cold sweat as he thought about all the possibilities for Harry's disappearance, all of them pointed straight to You-Know-Who._

_Hermione grabbed his arm and spun him around. "I know you're worried about him, but we are just going to get in the way. It's already crazy enough down there without a bunch of students mucking everything up. We can't just go waltzing into the maze looking for him. It's filled with dangerous spells and magical creatures for the tournament. I don't want something to happen to you too. Let the adults handle it!"_

"_I can't! He's my best friend! If I were in trouble he would find a way to help me, no matter what!" He shouted at her trying to make her understand._

_Hermione looked up at his reddened face and sighed. "He's going to be okay. Whatever has happened, Harry will make it through. He always does…"_

"_Yeah, but what if this time he doesn't… what then… what would I do without him…"_

_Ron looked down into Hermione's eyes and saw that they were full of tears. He didn't mean to make her cry. He was just so frustrated by Harry's disappearance that he didn't realize he was taking it out on his other best friend. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I'm just so worried…" he replied, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze._

"_I know… me too…" she said with a sniffle._

_They reached the edge of the stands and waited rather impatiently as the adults performed locating charms and analyzed the magical signatures surrounding the maze. Dark magic was obviously suspected, but no one could determine how Harry had disappeared. Dumbledore thought that the cup may have been a portkey. _

_Fred and George suddenly appeared behind them and both put a comforting hand on their shoulders. "Any word on Harry?" Fred asked._

"_No, nothing yet…" Ron said, his throat beginning to constrict painfully. With each passing minute, he felt the lingering sense of dread that indicated that something awful must have happened to his best friend._

"_Where's Ginny?" he asked absentmindedly._

"_Not sure… probably with mum," said George._

_He nodded in understanding. He was vaguely aware that he was shaking ever so lightly, though he wasn't sure why. Harry had certainly faced his fair share of dangerous situations, but never before had he felt so scared for him._

_The minutes clicked by agonizingly slowly and still there was no sign of him. Night had fallen and the stars were shining above with such brightness that they cast a surreal glow down upon the scenery below. The students had begun to file out of the stands and utter mayhem was breaking loose._

"_What's going on? What happened? Are we in danger?" they shouted. Everyone was confused and demanding answers. Answers that no one could yet provide. _

_Hagrid and Filch did their best to keep everyone from interfering and even managed to send some of the students back to their dormitories. But the majority of the crowd remained at the scene waiting for some type of news. Thankfully, they did not scold Ron or the others for sticking around. Hagrid knew how close Harry was to his friends and he would need them if and when he returned._

_Suddenly, Harry appeared out of thin air and slammed flat onto the ground just outside the maze entrance. In one arm was the Tri-Wizard Cup and in the other was the still form of Cedric Diggory. Dumbledore strode over to him quickly as the crowd erupted noisily. Some of the girls had begun screaming and crying at the sight before them. Ron's heart pounded as he caught sight of his friend, and began to feel relieved until he realized that Harry wasn't moving, his face still pressed down into the grass._

_Instinctively, he began to move forward to get a better look at what was happening. George grabbed his arm and held him back. "Let the headmaster take care of him Ronnie… we don't know if anything is wrong."_

"_Let me go! He needs me!" he shouted at his older brother, but George held onto him tightly grabbing both arms now. He felt tears begin to prickle the corner of his eyes. "You don't understand… I'm his best friend…"_

_Ron looked down at Hermione by his side and saw the tears streaming down her face. She felt it too. Something had happened to him and they had been powerless to stop it._

_He wrenched his way out of George's hands and reached for Hermione. He pulled her into a tight embrace while they waited for news. Never before had they felt comfortable with this sort of intimacy, but in light of the situation it seemed appropriate. It wasn't an attraction, just a need for comfort from a close friend._

_The noise from the crowd was grating on Ron's nerves and he felt he might lose it if they all didn't shut up anytime soon. _

_Professor Dumbledore seized Harry and roughly turned him over. "Harry! Harry!" the headmaster called, crouching beside the young boy. _

_Harry's pale face was screwed up in pain as he tried to open his eyes. Ron was too far away to hear his response, but he could tell from reading his lips that he had said, "He's back. He's back. Voldemort." _

_Ron glanced down at Hermione fearfully and realized that she had figured out what Harry had said as well. This whole thing must have been a set up. If Harry had been transported to Voldemort, how the hell had he escaped? The whole thing seemed to be some kind of horrible nightmare._

"_Why is it always him, Ron?" asked Hermione pitifully._

_They realized that Harry suddenly let go of the cup, but he had clutched Cedric to him more tightly as if he were afraid to let go. Ron watched as he raised his free hand and seized Dumbledore's wrist, trying to focus on his face. _

_"What's going on? What's happened?" demanded Cornelius Fudge as he pushed past Ron and Hermione to reach Dumbledore's side, effectively blocking their view. All Ron heard next as the Minister peered down at the two boys on the ground was, "My God! Dumbledore - he's dead!" _

_The words were repeated amongst the crowd. Many of them were gasping to those around them . . . and then others shouted it - screeched it - into the night - "He's dead!" "He's dead!" _

_Ron misunderstood the situation and thought they were shouting about Harry. Wasn't he just alive a minute ago? He felt his heart sink to his stomach and he felt weak in the knees. Whatever had happened to his best friend, it must have taken a toll on him and his body finally gave out. He had been with You-Know-Who after all. Tears leaked out the corners of his eyes as he took in this information. He squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to deny what he was hearing. A sob was threatening to escape him at any moment._

"_Ron…" said Hermione, who was still in his arms. "Ron…are you okay?"_

_He looked down into her watery brown eyes and felt such sadness. "Harry…" he moaned. His world was spinning out of control as he thought about a life without his best friend in it. He felt her small frame trying to hold him up as began to feel faint._

"_Ron… Harry isn't dead… Cedric died… not Harry…" she tried to explain. She held his face in both of her hands and stared into his eyes trying to make him understand. He tore his gaze away from her face and searched the crowd._

_Sure enough they were all in hysterics shouting "He's dead!" "Cedric Diggory! Dead!"_

_He instantly felt relieved that it had been the Hufflepuff boy and not his best mate that had died. Later he would feel guilty for even feeling that way, but for now he clung to the hope that Harry would really be okay. He wiped his tears away in an attempt to find his composure, and grabbed for Hermione's hand. He dragged her closer to where Harry had appeared so that they could see what was going on. Fred and George were close behind them. They couldn't get to him directly because of the professors blocking the way, trying to maintain the crowd._

_Ron could see that Harry was indeed alive, but something wasn't right about him. He was still lying on the ground holding onto Cedric tightly, confusion clearly written on his face._

_"Harry, let go of him," he heard Fudge say as he tried to pry his fingers from Cedric's limp body, but Harry wouldn't let him go. _

_Then Dumbledore added, "Harry, you can't help him now. It's over. Let go." _

_"He wanted me to bring him back," Ron heard Harry mutter, still lying weakly on the ground. "He wanted me to bring him back to his parents. ..." _

_"That's right. Harry . . . just let go now. . . ." After Harry had let go, Dumbledore bent down and raised Harry up from the ground and set him on his feet. _

_Harry swayed uncertainly and seemed to be in a great deal of pain. Ron had never seen him look so pale and unsure of himself before and that was saying a lot. In the last four years, Harry had been to the infirmary more times than the rest of the Gryffindors combined._

_His leg was injured badly from his run in with the spider in the maze, and his pant leg was covered in blood. The crook of his arm was bleeding heavily as well, though Ron knew that he had not obtained that cut during the tournament itself. The small teen was shaking so badly that he could barely even stand upright. Ron desperately wanted to go to him and help him somehow._

_The crowd was surprised to see Harry's condition and was pushing closer and closer to the scene saying things like, "What's happened?" "What's wrong with him?" "Diggory's dead!" Everyone was becoming more and more hysterical._

_Before he could go to his friend, his mother approached him quickly holding onto Ginny's hand. She had somehow found them in the crowd. "Oh, Ron… is Harry okay?" she asked pulling him and Hermione into a hug. Releasing them, she grabbed for her other two boys and hugged them as well._

"_I don't know," Ron responded. "Something's wrong with him… he needs me…" _

_Ron tried to get to Harry, but his mother held him back. "No, Ronnie… let the professors take care of him. There's nothing you can do now."_

"_Ron, your mum's right…" Hermione tried._

"_There is something I can do... Harry needs to know that we're worried about him. He doesn't understand things like that!" Ron shouted, trying to get to him. Why didn't anyone understand? Why did they want to keep Harry from him?_

"_He knows that we worry about him... doesn't he?" asked Hermione, somewhat fearfully._

_"He'll need to go to the hospital wing!" Fudge said over the din of voices. "He's ill, he's injured - Dumbledore, Diggory's parents, they're here, they're in the stands…" _

"_I'll take Harry, Dumbledore, I'll take him -" said Professor Moody, who had suddenly appeared out of no where._

_Dumbledore dismissed him and began to say, "No, I would prefer-" _

"_Harry!" Ron shouted from a short distance away, trying to get his attention in all the chaos. If he knew that Ron was here waiting for him like always, maybe he would start to feel better._

_"Dumbledore, Amos Diggory's running . . . he's coming over . . . . Don't you think you should tell him - before he sees - ?" stated Fudge, looking rather perturbed about the whole situation._

_Ron averted his attention toward the direction Fudge was pointing and saw the Diggorys were in fact running this way. How awful it must have been to see their son lying dead on the ground._

_"Harry, stay here -" Dumbledore stated firmly. Girls were screaming and sobbing hysterically in the crowd as Dumbledore turned to greet the fallen boy's parents._

_"It's all right, son, I've got you . . . come on ... hospital wing . . ." said Mad Eye Moody, catching Harry before he fell to the ground again._

Ron _was about to move forward to protest, when he heard Harry weakly say, "Dumbledore said stay." He looked like he was going to be sick._

"_Harry, stay there, like Dumbledore said!" Ron shouted, agitated that their professor would directly disobey the headmaster's orders. He had begun to make his way towards his friend, but found the bystanders were getting in his way._

_"You need to lie down… Come on now..." said Moody, as he began to lead Harry through the frightened crowd, half pulling, half carrying him towards the castle. The other professors were too busy holding back the crowd, and observing the scene with Diggory's parents to notice Harry's absence._

"_Mum, Dumbledore told Harry to stay… Moody shouldn't be taking him away like that..." Ron protested, turning to follow them._

"_I know, I was surprised by that too, but you saw how he looked. He should be in the hospital taking it easy…" she replied_

"_But Dumbledore said…"_

"_I know what he said, but being out here in this crowd won't do him any good. Besides, do you really think he wants to see Cedric's parents crying over his body!"_

"_I suppose not…" said Ron turning to look at the Diggorys, who were bent over their dead son crying desperately. His head of house, Professor Sprout, was trying to comfort them._

"That could have been Harry," _thought Ron sadly. _"How did he escape?"

_The Weasleys and Hermione then began to walk back to the castle slowly, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together to determine what had happened to their friend. They decided to head towards the infirmary in hopes that the school nurse would allow them to see Harry._

_The group was utterly surprised to find out that Harry had not been taken to the infirmary. Molly Weasley had harassed poor Madam Pomfrey looking for answers, but she hadn't seen Harry once since she returned to the castle._

_It wasn't until much later that they learned how Harry had gone missing again. Barty Crouch Jr. was caught impersonating Professor Moody using a Polyjuice Potion and had planned "taking care" of Harry personally. Thank goodness the professors were able to locate Harry in time._

_When Harry finally made it to the hospital wing, he looked even more crestfallen than he had before, as if he had the weight of the entire world on his shoulders. When the ugly situation with Fudge and the Dementors had calmed down, mum had tried to comfort Harry._

_The poor boy looked as though he had never been hugged like that before, and blinked away the tears that threatened to fall down his face. It pained Ron to see him trying so desperately to hide what he was feeling. He knew he probably was never allowed to show emotion when he was at the Dursleys, and it seemed as if it may be something Harry would struggle with for the rest of his life._

Ron shook his head of the memory finally and attempted to finish the Quidditch article he had started about diving. Still unable to concentrate with his thoughts on last year, he went about straightening up his room a bit instead. It was quite a disaster, and if Harry was ever allowed to stay with them, he didn't want his room looking like this. It wasn't like him to volunteer to clean anything, but the mess had finally started bother him enough to do something about it.

He was still furious at himself for the way he had treated Harry earlier last year. He got so caught up into what everyone else was saying that he didn't even bother to listen to what Harry had to say about the matter.

Ron had always been so jealous of him… that ate him up inside. The fame… his talents… everything… They had been friends for so long that it seemed inevitable that they would fight about something now and again. But they never really did. At least not until the Goblet of Fire spewed forth his name for that damn tournament. He should have known that the whole bloody thing had been rigged, but he let his feelings of jealousy, shame, and hurt get the best of him. Ron had never forgiven himself because he had betrayed Harry's trust when he needed it most. It would never happen again.

After throwing the dirty clothes into a hamper and tossing his school books in his trunk, he deemed his room to be much improved and made his way downstairs again. He wondered what everyone was up to on a rainy day like today. He discovered that Fred and George had disappeared to their room again, and that Ginny was helping their mum fix dinner.

Bored out of his mind, and troubled about his actions last year towards Harry, he sat down at the kitchen table heavily and crossed his arms in frustration.

"What is it dear?" asked Molly as she spelled a kitchen knife to start chopping the vegetables.

"Nothing…" he muttered, kicking one of the chairs lightly under the table.

Molly looked at her son quizzically and knew him well enough that something was upsetting him. "Ginny dear, I can finish up. Thanks for your help. Why don't you go upstairs and work on your homework a bit," she suddenly suggested.

"But mum, I don't want to…" she whined. "I have all summer!"

"Ginny…" Molly said firmly and gave her a look that communicated that she shouldn't ask questions. Her daughter threw down the kitchen towel she had been holding and went upstairs, sulking heavily. She hated being dismissed and felt like they left her out of things because she was the youngest child.

After setting a pot of water on the stove to start boiling and checking on the dish in the oven, she sat across from her youngest son and took his left hand in hers. "What's wrong Ronnie?"

"I miss him…" he said sadly. He was never good at hiding his feelings, especially when it came to his mother. She always said that he wore his heart on his sleeve and it was probably true.

"Who… Harry?"

"Yeah… and Hermione too, I guess. But she's off in Romania having fun with Vicky… Harry is all alone over there…" he said, tracing with his finger the grain in the wood table with his free hand.

"I know honey, I'll keep asking Dumbledore if it's okay that he comes to stay with us," she replied. "I don't like him being with the Dursleys anymore than you do."

"I know, but what if he says no again. I don't know how much more he can take after what happened last year. I'm worried about him…"

"So am I," she said, meeting her son's gaze.

"What if something is wrong?"

"I'm sure he's fine, Ronnie. Dumbledore has someone looking after him you know. Arabella Figg has known Harry all of his life and lived fairly closed to the Dursleys. Plus there are numerous wards surrounding his house. Surely if there was something wrong she would tell the headmaster about it," she said, trying to reassure her son.

"But what if those Muggles he lives with are making him do a million chores? Or what if they're locking him up again? Mrs. Figg may not be able to see any of that. For all we know he could be starving to death!"

"I don't think the Dursleys would do that…"

"Yes they would! You've see how skinny he is when he comes back to school each year! They're horrible!" he shouted, trying to make her understand.

"I know…" she said sadly.

"And what if they're punishing him for that stunt Fred and George pulled on his cousin last year!"

"What? The Ton Tongue Toffee… You don't think they would blame him, do you? Your father explained it all to his aunt and uncle when he fixed their son up."

"I wouldn't put it past them to blame him somehow…"

Molly scowled heavily as she thought about Harry being punished for her sons' actions. "I told those two that they were only going to cause trouble when they went with you to pick Harry up, but they never listen to me..."

There was an awkward silence for a few moments as mother and son sat with one another contemplating what had been said. They both felt the same about Harry coming to stay with them, but neither had the power to do anything about it. He hated feeling helpless. Ron stared gloomily outside.

"The rain has let up…" he said finally, to break the tension.

"So it has…"

"Hedwig will want to go outside. I should let her out," he said. Then an idea crossed his mind. "Mum… if he can't come stay with us can I at least send Harry a letter…" he looked at her hopefully. She had no idea just how desperate he was to contact his friend. For some inexplicable reason he just knew that Harry needed him somehow.

"You know Dumbledore has forbidden it…"

"I know, but could you ask him once more… for me, please? … I just need to make sure Harry is okay… besides this awful rain has finally stopped and I know Hedwig would love to see him again. It's been a month!"

"Alright, I'll fire call the headmaster right away and ask if you can send _one_ letter…"

"Thanks!" Ron said as he jumped up from the table, nearly knocking over his chair.

"Where are you going?"

"To write that letter..."

"But we don't even know if he'll say yes or not…" she replied, grabbing some powder from the mantle to make the call to Dumbledore.

"I don't want to wait for an answer. I'll go write the letter just in case he says I can. That way I can send it off right away!"

"Fine… Make sure that you are careful about what you say about you know what… I'll let you know what he says…"

Ron bounded up the steps and quickly entered his room. Grabbing a quill, ink, and a scrap piece of parchment from his trunk he began to compose his letter while lying across his bed.

_Hey Harry,_

_I hope those Muggles and treating you okay and you're having a decent summer. We're all pretty worried about you, and Mum has been bugging Dumbledore about you coming to stay with us nearly everyday. No luck yet, but we'll keep trying._

_Sorry that I haven't written you before now, but you know the reason why. This may be the only letter I can send you all summer. There's a lot going on that I can't tell you yet because this letter may be confiscated by Death Eaters. I'll explain everything once I see you._

_I can only imagine how you must be feeling right now with everything that happened last year. Please let me know if there is anything that you need. I know I betrayed your trust last year, but I promise you that it will never happen again. You're my best friend and I would do anything for you. All you need to do is ask. _

_-Ron_

He wasn't completely satisfied with what he had written, but a lot of what had happened this summer had to be kept in total secrecy. The note was rather brief, but it would have to do.

"Ron!" Molly called from the foot of the stairs.

"Yes?" he asked as he peeked his head out his bedroom door.

"Dumbledore said you can send him a letter, but only one! We can't have owls flying back and forth over his house all summer. Just this one time!" she yelled, knowing that Ron would be overjoyed with the good news.

"Finally!" he shouted to no one. He quickly went to Hedwig and attached his letter to her leg.

"Go to Harry," he said. "And don't come back until he gives you a reply."

He flung the window wide open and watched as the snowy owl took flight against the receding clouds in the dark night sky. The smell of dinner wafted upstairs and he found himself feeling rather hungry. He went back down to join his family for their evening meal, confident that he would be hearing from his friend soon.

* * *

A/N: Okay, I know many of you may be disappointed that this chapter was about Ron when poor Harry is still in the hospital. I, myself, wanted to write the next two chapters about Harry right away, but the need to introduce Ron as a prominent character in this story took precedence. It would be too strange to have him suddenly appear five chapters in without first analyzing his perspective on what had occurred last year. I tried to keep him in character, but I found it hard. Let me know what you think so far. I hope you liked the flashback to the third task, as much as I did. I always wondered what everyone else was thinking during those horrifying moments he disappeared. Just so you know… no one in the wizarding world knows about the car accident or the abuse yet. You will see how that discovery is made rather soon, if you haven't figured it out already. 

A/N2: Many of you may be wondering, okay… when is the slash going to begin? Just a word of warning, I do not like to rush into anything, as you may know from my other two fics. Their relationship right now is only that of friendship. They may have deep rooted feelings for one another, but they don't understand that right now. It will develop over time. Ron and Hermione's affection towards one another in this chapter is only because they are worried about their friend. In this story they are not romantically involved and do not think of each other in that way.

A/N3: The rest of the Weasley family and the Order will be explained in a future chapter. Yes, I am using some elements set forth in OoTP, but this story will remain AU, obviously.

**Many thanks to all my reviewers. Wow! I think that was the most reviews I had ever received for a single chapter. **


	4. Trapped

A/N: I just realized that I hadn't thanked my amazing beta, _Drae_, yet in this story. So I'm dedicating this chapter to her for all her hard work. Thanks again!

**Chapter 4- Trapped**

Harry was lying flat on his back, still trapped within the awful head and neck brace, thinking about what had happened to him tonight. He was at a loss to figure out how he was going to get himself out of this mess. And it seemed as if his future was becoming more and more uncertain as he lay there thinking about everything. He knew that it was only a matter of time before someone from Child Protective Services came to speak with him. What was going to happen to him? Would he ever see the wizarding world again?

He had been told that he needed to focus on calming down because his heart rate was still way above normal, but he found that easier said than done. Especially when he was able to watch his heart beat on the monitor behind him. It still was fluctuating between 90 and 100 and Harry was beginning to feel fatigued as a result.

The head nurse had come in earlier and attempted to draw blood from him so they could start testing his blood. Dr. Wang was concerned that he may have sustained heart trauma during the accident, which would explain his irregular heart beat. Apparently they could test for trauma by examining enzymes in the blood. Unfortunately the poor nurse had trouble finding a vein large enough to draw from, like Brian, the paramedic, had. In the end she had to stick the needle on the outside of his right forearm, which Harry thought was particularly odd. Since they would be testing his blood every six hours, she left the needle in his arm and covered it tightly with white surgical tape.

When she left, he listened to the sounds of the hospital emergency room having nothing else to do. Instead of distracting his mind about the situation it seemed to only make it worse. He couldn't see anything because the curtain had been drawn around the trauma room he was in. Not that it mattered; he couldn't even sit up with that stupid contraption still around his head. Unfortunately, he heard the gory details about some of the other cases brought in to the hospital tonight and found his stomach flipping over in disgust. As hard as he tried, he couldn't _not_ listen to what was happening around him.

He coughed a few times to clear his throat and found it somewhat surreal to hear himself against all the odd sounds coming around him.

In the curtained room next to his, a teenaged girl had been brought in who had been in an accident as well. From the sound of her screaming it appeared that she had sustained an ankle injury as well. Doctors and nurses all tried to reassure her that she would okay and that her parents would be here soon, but she wouldn't listen to reason. She was near hysterical, crying and moaning about her injury.

"_Oh my god… just kill me… my ankle hurts so bad… oh god… oh god,"_ she screamed over and over. "_Somebody help me! Why won't you help me!"_

Instead of feeling badly for her Harry just wanted someone to shut her up. And indeed they did… after listening to her screaming for what seemed like forever they finally gave her something to kill the pain. Harry was jealous. He was hurting too, why couldn't he get any medicine?

He was beginning to think that the doctors may have forgotten about him since he hadn't seen anyone in the last hour or so. They did have their hands full with a busy emergency room. But he figured it was because they were trying to give him some time to be alone after his ordeal. After all, they did just discover that he had been repeatedly beaten over the last few weeks. They probably didn't know what to say to him… now that they knew just how weak and pathetic he was.

Before he could contemplate the issue further, a young resident stepped around the curtains blocking his room. Harry had not seen this doctor yet tonight and couldn't help but think that he was only sent in to gain some more experience in his new field. He got the distinct impression in the emergency room that if your injury wasn't life threatening it didn't call for immediate attention.

"Harry, my name is Doctor Hannigan. I'm going to patch your head up a bit here for you," the young man said, sounding falsely pleasant in his Irish accent.

"Okay," Harry replied, his voice just above a whisper.

"Everyone else is apparently too busy," the doctor then said, more to himself than his patient.

Harry had worried about the cut on his head ever since he saw the bloodied gauze in Shelly's hand in the ambulance. Muggle medicine was a far cry from the healing powers of wizards and Harry was sure that he would be left with another scar on his forehead. He would be a regular old Frankenstein now, and Malfoy would be sure to tease him relentlessly, calling him "scarhead" once again, once he saw him.

Harry couldn't help but feel nervous as he watched as the Irish doctor prepared a small tray of medical tools and switched on a lamp near his head. The light that shined down upon his face was almost blinding, and Harry had to squint against the harsh glare.

"Sorry about that, but I need the light to work…" Dr. Hannigan explained, as he rolled a chair over from the wall and seated himself just behind Harry's head at the end of the gurney.

Harry winced slightly as the doctor peeled off the temporary butterfly stitches and poked and prodded at his head. It was still pretty painful and his headache seemed to be getting only worse. The doctor explained that because of the side impact of the accident his head must have somehow smacked the passenger side window just as the air bags deployed. Apparently the skin that was stretched over the head is so susceptible to injury that pressure alone could split it wide open. The way the doctor spoke about the injury sounded so clinical and Harry felt his stomach begin to feel queasy.

He then felt something cold and wet being applied to the left side of his forehead and could only assume that the doctor was cleaning the wound and the surrounding area.

"Now I need to give you a local anesthetic to numb the area before I stitch you up… this is going to sting a bit," he explained. Harry was going to nod in reply, but found he still couldn't move his head anyway.

He felt three sharp pricks of a needle pierce the skin in his forehead as the doctor administered the local. He was then left alone with his thoughts for several minutes so that the anesthetic could take effect. When the doctor returned again, he worked quietly at stitching up his forehead. Although he was thoroughly numb where his head had been cut, Harry could see, and almost feel, himself being sewn up. From his vantage point it looked like the doctor was merely darning a pair of socks. It was very disconcerting.

Harry couldn't help but notice the young doctor's poor bed side manner. Dr. Hannigan had barely spoken to him other than to inform him what he was going to do to him next or explain his injury in clinical detail. Shouldn't the doctor be reassuring him that the cut would heal properly and there will hardly be a scar; at least that's what Madam Pomfrey always did for him. Even if that wasn't true, it was still nice to hear. Harry was still as nervous about the whole situation as he was before the man came in.

"There… good as new…" the man said, throwing away the surgical gloves and taking the tray to dispose of the tools and bloodied gauzes properly.

The doctor was about to leave when Harry asked if he could see himself in a mirror. He felt foolish about being so vain at that moment, but it was somehow very important for Harry to see what he looked like now. Dr. Hannigan sighed deeply as if he was being put out by such a request, and stated that he would send a nurse in with a mirror. Harry never saw the quiet man again, but true to his word a nurse in blue hospital scrubs returned with a mirror for him a short while later.

He had never been big on appearances, but if this scar was going to be a permanent addition to his face he wanted to know what it looked like. "Thanks," he said to the pretty lady as she held the compact mirror above his head and at the proper angle.

"No problem sweetie. I know I would want to see what my face looked like too. Don't worry… it's not bad at all. Dr. Hannigan did a really good job," she reassured him, still waiting for the small boy to check himself out in the mirror. "I'm Nurse Whitfield, by the way… but you can call me Laura…" Harry noticed that she had kind eyes and soft brown hair that just brushed her shoulders.

Harry then glanced his eyes upwards and saw the bruised flesh on his forehead. In the center of the blotchy red and purple skin was a thin cut held together by six black sutures. Although it appeared as if the cut would heal well, Harry couldn't help but feel upset about the stitches in his head. They looked like little black insects marching in row across his brow.

"Thanks," he said again, and squeezed his eyes tightly. After taping a fresh piece of gauze over the wound, the pretty nurse left him alone again, patting his hand softly before she left.

It bothered him to no end that in addition to his infamous lightning bolt scar, he would now have another blemish on his forehead from the six stitches the resident had given him. The new scar confirmed it…he really was a freak now…

He suppressed the sob that wanted to escape his throat and bit his lower lip to stop the trembling that had begun there. He was stronger than this… he wouldn't let everything get to him… he needed to stay focused to figure things out.

It was a good thing he had gotten his emotions under control because the nurse that had brought him the mirror earlier suddenly returned. "Hey Harry, we just got a call from radiology. They're ready for you now…. but it looks like you need another bag of saline," she said almost as an afterthought.

Harry didn't even respond as he watched the nurse out of the corner of his eye. First, Laura unhooked him from the heart monitor and took down the clear empty bag that was hanging on a hook above his head. The nurse replaced it with a fresh bag that she found in a nearby drawer. Seeing that it had begun to drip into his veins at the appropriate rate, she released the breaks on the gurney and slid the curtain open wide so that she could wheel him down the hallway.

Harry couldn't see much from his position but the emergency room seemed to be bustling with activity. He never expected it to be this busy at this time of night, and it had to be fairly late by now. There were people standing everywhere trying to seek medical attention or waiting for loved ones to be seen impatiently. He tried not to look at them as they passed by, but he couldn't help but noticing the little girl crying for her mother and the old man holding a blood soaked towel to his head. Mostly he stared at the ceiling tiles passing by and the full bag of saline swinging on the hook above his head.

Laura wheeled Harry's movable bed into an elevator and selected the third floor. The lift's ascent was rather quick, and they were soon moving down another stark white hallway. At the far end, a large door had been propped open waiting for them. Once inside Harry could see the various medical equipment crammed into the small room. His gurney was rolled up beside a large metal platform that was raised to an equal height of that of his bed.

Together Laura, the radiologist, and his assistants lifted Harry off the gurney using the sheets below him, mindful of the IV in his arm and his numerous injuries. Harry had to bite his lip from crying out in pain as he felt his ribs and back jarred painfully. Unfortunately they had to remove the warm blankets he was covered with before and he found himself shivering in the air conditioned room in only a hospital gown.

Harry lay there uncomfortably as the radiologist took x-ray after x-ray of his head, neck, and back. He then positioned the machine over his left foot and took various x-rays of his ankle at various angles. When they were done, they transferred him back to his bed and covered him in his warm blankets. Again, Harry found himself trying to ward off the pain. Breathing deeply seemed to help somewhat.

"Sorry, Harry, I know it hurts…" Laura said kindly, looking down at him with sympathetic eyes.

The nurse wheeled him out into the hallway, but instead of returning to the elevators that would lead them back upstairs she turned down another hallway.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked Laura, still confused about everything that was happening to him. His limited experience with Muggle medicine still left him feeling rather uncertain about everything that was happening. It all seemed so archaic when compared to the healing powers of magic.

"Dr. Wang has also ordered for you to have a CAT scan because of your heart…" she replied. From the look on her face she must have been able to tell that Harry was terrified.

"Don't worry… it doesn't hurt at all…"

He wanted to explain that he was more afraid that there was something wrong with him than he was of another Muggle machine, but decided to stay quiet instead.

On top of everything else now he had to worry about his heart being damaged? That couldn't be good. Why was crap like this always happening to him?

He felt his heartbeat quicken once again, as he was wheeled into another room where a large doughnut shaped machine was located. The thin metal bed extending from the mouth of the machine looked more like an overgrown tongue than a piece of equipment. Harry was soon lifted off of his warm bed again by the technician on hand and her assistants. They were a little less careful about his injuries and seemed to be rather irritated to be bothered after working a long shift. Pain flared on his left side as his ribs were jostled, and Harry had to blink to hold back the tears.

Iodine, which was a dye, was then injected into his IV through a syringe so that the images they got of his body could be clearly read. Harry instantly felt a strange warmth in his body as the iodine circulated throughout his bloodstream. He then felt an odd sensation like he had to urinate, but the technician assured him that everything he was feeling was perfectly normal.

Harry's arms were positioned, a little more gently, over his head and the machine whirred to life. His body was inserted in and out of the machine at different intervals so that they could take pictures of his heart. It was bizarre to lie there motionless as he listened to the various sounds of the machine around him. At different points he was asked to hold his breath and exhale slowly. After about twenty minutes, the whole procedure was over and Harry was wheeled back out of the room.

Instead of returning to the emergency room on the first floor, Laura took him up to the fifth floor, which looked just like the other two floors he had seen. He silently wondered how everyone remembered where everything was when each floor was identical. Then again, the only view he had was really that of the ceiling.

"We're going to have to admit you overnight for observation. Usually we would discharge someone with your injuries, but since we are watching your heart and well… because you are unable to return to your relatives' house, we are going to have you stay with us…" she explained as he was taken into a private hospital room.

Another nurse in a blue uniform appeared beside her and smiled down at him sweetly. "Is this Harry?" she asked. She looked to be quite a few years older than the nurse who had brought him up here.

"Yeah… he's a real trooper this one. Hasn't complained once since he got here…" said Laura.

"Well, we'll take real good care of him…" the older nurse replied.

Harry sensed that Laura was going to leave him like Shelly and Brian did, and felt instantly saddened. He wished that she could stay with him since he probably wouldn't see her ever again now that he was on a different floor. She would return to her shift in the emergency room and not even think twice about him. He had had to deal with more strangers than he cared to remember tonight, and he was desperate for someone to stay and comfort him.

Why was it every time he began to trust someone, they had to leave him? Harry felt more like an orphan tonight than he ever had before in his entire life. How he wished to see a friendly face to chase all his demons away. This feeling of loneliness was starting to eat away at him inside.

Together, the two nurses transferred him to his new bed using the sheet beneath him once again. Harry found the larger bed to be much more comfortable than the gurney had been, which was a huge relief seeing that his lower back and ribs were still aching badly. His old blankets were replaced by fresh ones on his new bed and his IV was transferred to a movable pole placed beside his bed. The numerous wires sticking out from his chest were then reconnected to a heart monitor on the wall. Harry glanced upwards and saw that his heart beat was still slightly above normal. He sighed deeply, wondering what that could mean.

"Okay, Harry, I gotta leave you now. Thanks for being such a wonderful patient. Linda here is going to take care of you, so you let her know what you need. This little button," Laura said, lifting a small device connected to a wire that extended to the wall, "will let her know if you need her. And she will be here in a jiffy."

"Okay," said Harry, swallowing thickly to will away his sadness.

"Bye, Harry," said Laura, waving goodbye to him with a look of trepidation on her face. "I'm sure everything will turn out okay…"

Linda, his new nurse, fluffed the blankets around him and smiled down at him again. "Dr. Rosenthal is the consultant on this floor. He will be stopping in soon to check on you. Dr. Wang may come up from emergency to check on you as well. Is there anything you need right now?" the graying woman asked.

"I-I don't think s-so…" Harry muttered, feeling unsure of himself once again with this new person.

"Okay, well you get some rest… and press that little button if you need anything," she said putting the button controller in his hand. The older nurse was about to leave when Harry finally spoke up.

"L-Linda, w-what about my things?" he asked weakly.

"Oh yes, I had forgotten about that… the head nurse downstairs sent up a couple of items that they found on you when you were brought in. I already placed them in your room," she said, moving to the bed side table.

"Are these your glasses?" she asked, holding up black round frames with the left eye piece cracked into several places.

"Yes…" he replied, wondering what had happened to his wand. He hated feeling defenseless, and the thought of possibly losing it was too painful to think about.

"Looks like you will be needing a new pair…" Harry chuckled lightly at her attempt at humor to be polite.

"They found this as well, but we're all at a loss as to what this is…" she said, holding up a thin piece of wood. _Holly, phoenix feather, eleven inches._

"My wand!" Harry exclaimed, happy to see that he hadn't lost it after all. He then realized what he had said aloud and his mind began scrambling for a plausible explanation for it.

"Your what?" she asked, looking completely bewildered as she handed it to him.

He fingered the wood lovingly and quickly tucked it into the covers beside him. "Er…. It's my w-wand… yeah… I…er…" Harry stuttered trying to find a way of recovering from this fiasco. "Um… have you heard of Dungeons and Dragons?" he asked hopefully, thinking of no other explanation that seemed believable.

"I think so… my nephew plays it with his friends… isn't that a game where you act things out… role-playing, or something…." she tried.

"Yeah, sort of. It's pretty complicated. I'm the wizard in the group I play with, and that's my wand," said Harry feeling more confident as he elaborated on his lie. "It's just one of the props we use to make everything seem more real…I was hoping my friends and I could play tonight after dinner."

"Oh, okay…" she said, looking at him strangely. It was clear that she didn't think too highly of the game. "Well, I'm glad that you have it back. Now get some rest. From what I heard you've had a heck of a night," she said. Linda then left the room quietly leaving the door wide open to the hallway.

Harry let out a huge sigh of relief that the nurse had bought his story. He had no idea what he was talking about and apparently she didn't either. He had heard about Dungeons and Dragons once in a schoolyard when he still attended the local Muggle school, but hadn't even though of it until now. He wondered how his subconscious was able to pull that single event that happened so long ago from his mind. It must have been the blow to his head.

Harry tried to close his eyes and get some rest like she had suggested but found that he couldn't keep his eyes closed. He was still too anxious about what would happen to him. He was worried about what would happen when Child Protective Services, a branch of Social Services, came to speak with him. What would happen to his uncle? Would he be sent to an orphanage? Would he ever see Ron or Hermione again? Harry couldn't think of anyway of contacting anyone in the wizarding world for help.

All night he had been thinking about how he could escape the hospital, but the fact he was wearing only a hospital gown and that he had numerous injuries that prevented him from even walking, completely threw that idea out the window. His clothes had been destroyed when they were cut off his body, and he didn't know how to get his hands on something else to wear. As much as he hated it, he was in fact trapped.

He tried to clear his throat a few times, but found it difficult lying flat on his back. The need to cough was getting more and more difficult to suppress. His stupid cold that had been lingering a week now had left him with a dry cough that he couldn't seem to get rid of. All night he had tried to prevent himself from coughing by swallowing thickly.

He glanced around his new room and discovered that the walls in here were covered in mottled blue wallpaper. A welcomed relief to the stark white hallways he had seen all night. His bed seemed to be the only one in the small room. He turned his eyes to the left and saw what appeared to be a few chairs near the side of his bed and a doorway, which must lead to the bathroom. A TV hung from the ceiling near the foot of his bed and a large window covered in vertical blinds was to the right of him.

The dark sky outside the glass pane was unsettling and reminded him of the dark minutes he spent alone trapped in the car waiting for help to arrive. He wondered if there might be Death Eaters lurking outside the hospital, waiting for the right moment to strike. His situation was already pretty bad and he hated to think about any of that occurring on top of it.

Harry was still strapped into the head and neck brace, even after having been brought into the emergency room hours ago. To say that he was extremely uncomfortable was an understatement. Why was this stupid thing still on him? He was obviously okay… didn't they have the result of the x-rays yet?

The need to cough had become urgent so he allowed his body to do what it had been screaming to do all night. Raising a weak arm, he placed his hand over his mouth and coughed into it. The pain that flared on the left side of his chest was unbearable, but he couldn't stop coughing. In fact, it felt like he couldn't breathe. He hated feeling like he was trapped. He never did too well within confined spaces, which fueled the reason why the Dursleys forced him to sleep in a cupboard until he was eleven. They loved knowing that the small space scared him to no end.

He felt like he was suffocating and pulled at the tight neck brace trying to find some relief. When he found none and continued to cough painfully, Harry began to panic. He tried to take big gulping breaths of air, but found he coughed them out in short little bursts. In his fit of coughing, he started to become angry at the whole situation. Why were they torturing him like this? Didn't they know how awful this brace on his head was?

"Someone get this stupid thing off me…" he shouted out loud suddenly. He was surprised to hear his own voice after barely speaking all night.

"What's wrong?" asked Linda, running into the room. "Your heart is racing!"

"I can't stop coughing!" he shouted. "I want to sit up! Get this thing off of me!" As if to solidify his point, he began coughing loudly once again. His ribs were still screaming in protest.

"I can't take the brace off until one of the doctors gives the okay. Why are you coughing?" she asked with some concern.

"Because I'm getting over a cold…" _cough, cough_, "If you don't take this thing off…" _cough, cough_, "me right now…" _cough, cough_, "I'll do it myself!" Anger coursed through his veins and he started to fumble with the brace's straps trying to take it off.

"Stop!" said Linda, so forcefully that Harry immediately stilled. "I'll go get Dr. Rosenthal… don't do anything until I get back."

"Fine!" said Harry angrily, and continued to cough into his hand periodically.

His coughing fit had all but subsided by the time the doctor and the nurse had arrived. "What seems to be the problem, Harry?"

"Take this thing off me!" Harry demanded.

"Alright… but only because I just spoke to radiology and learned about what they found in your x-rays…"

The doctor reached over Harry and undid the strap confining Harry to the head and neck brace. He then carefully slid it out from underneath his head.

"Do you want to sit up?" the doctor asked. Harry nodded. After pressing a few buttons, Harry was reclining slightly in bed trying to find a comfortable position. He rubbed at his neck absentmindedly aware that Linda and the doctor were watching him.

"We couldn't take the brace off until we confirmed you hadn't broken your neck or back. There could have been minute fractures in the vertebrae, and it would have been far too risky. Radiology had to study your x-rays carefully. Anyway, I'm Doctor Rosenthal. If you have any questions you can ask for me or Dr. Wang, if you prefer, seeing that she was the one who admitted you," the man paused as if waiting for Harry to reply. When he said nothing, he turned to Linda and asked her to retrieve some things for him. Linda left the room quickly in search of what he needed.

Dr. Rosenthal continued, "You're a lucky young man, Harry. You have a mild concussion to the head and a laceration, which I see has already been sutured. You also have two hairline fractures on the left side of you ribs, although it seems as if they may have been severely bruised before…. Your ankle is broken in two places as well… It could have been a lot worse."

"What about my back?" asked Harry, still feeling the soreness in his lower back.

"There was no injury to the vertebrae so I suspect you may have sprained it. Just take it easy for the next week or so and it should return to normal."

"And my heart?" asked Harry, studying the tall skinny man carefully.

"We're still not sure about that. The CAT scans came back negative and the blood enzymes do not detect any abnormal heart trauma. I suspect that your heart rate is due to all the adrenaline and… and well, your nervousness over us discovering the abuse…but we are going to err on the side of caution just in case."

"I wasn't abused…" Harry said flatly. Saying that word sounded so strange and foreign. That wasn't what his Uncle did to him… right? He was just being punished for things that he did wrong.

"Well, that is something for Child Protective Services to determine…"

Harry was about to protest that he didn't want to talk to anybody about what happened to him when Linda returned with another nurse, carrying the things that Dr. Rosenthal had requested.

"Okay, Harry, I need you to sit up so that we can wrap your chest to prevent you from further injuring your ribs," said the doctor.

When Harry made no movement to sit up the two nurses, who were standing on either side of him each took an arm and pulled him up to a seated position. They then untied the strings and gently took the hospital gown off his arms. With the upper half of his body completely naked now, Harry was very ashamed of himself once again for letting his uncle do that to him. He felt so pathetic and weak.

He wrapped his arms around his waist shyly and stared down at the gown pooled around his waist. He could feel the doctor and nurses eyeing the welts and bruises on his back, but they didn't say a word. Some of the electrodes on his chest that monitored his heart were moved to a higher location so that they didn't become hidden beneath the bandages.

"Arms up," said Linda softly. Harry lifted his tired arms and rested them on top of his head as he watched the two nurses wrap his chest tightly with surgical gauze. He felt like a mummy being wrapped the way he was. He winced in pain as he felt the added pressure on his ribs. When they were finished, they replaced the gown over his arms and tied it again at the back. He was allowed to sit back once again and found that he could barely move his torso now that it was wrapped.

They then removed the blankets on his lower half and together, Linda and Dr. Rosenthal wrapped layer after layer of a wet gauzy material around his left ankle to form a cast. The other nurse had disappeared somewhere without a word. It hurt to keep it at a 90 degree angle, but Harry figured that it would probably heal better that way. Amazingly the material hardened rather fast and he now had thick boot cast halfway up his calf. Only his toes could be seen on his left foot and surprisingly there was some bruising and swelling around those as well. His entire foot for that matter was almost unrecognizable due to the swelling and bruising around his injury. Dr. Rosenthal suspected that some of the ligaments and tendons may have been damaged as well, but they wouldn't be able to tell until the swelling went down and they were able to put him in an MRI.

"How are my uncle and the other driver in the accident?" Harry asked Linda as she finished checking the cast on the foot that was now propped up on a pillow. For some reason he just had to know what was going on with them. He would have asked Dr. Rosenthal, but he had already left to check on his other patients.

"I'm not sure. I'll find out soon and let you know," she replied sadly. "Would you like something to eat? You must be starving…" her voice trailed off as she realized that was probably the last thing she should have said. The doctors had been able to tell that he was malnourished and severely underweight. He suspected that Linda had been informed of his condition entirely.

"No, thank you," said Harry honestly. He didn't think he could stomach anything to eat at this point, especially with his stomach being as queasy as it was.

"Well, I think you should eat at least something. I will have a nurse bring you a tray. Just see what you can do…"

"Alright," said Harry, knowing not an ounce of food would touch his lips tonight. Even if he could stomach it he wouldn't be able to eat very much. His limited portions all summer had shrunk his stomach considerably.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" Linda asked. Harry was beginning to trust the nurse on this floor like he had Laura in Emergency. She seemed like the grandmotherly type, though a bit younger, despite the grey curls that adorned her head.

After two bags of saline, which was used to keep him hydrated, and not using the restroom since this afternoon Harry felt an enormous pressure on his bladder. He had tried ignore the call of nature while his wounds were being taken care of, but found that he was now somewhat desperate. Harry was suddenly feeling very alone right now, and knowing he had no choice, he spat out what he had to say quickly. "I have to go to the bathroom…"

"No problem… I can just go get you a bed pan or…"

"NO!" He was horrified to think about using a bed pan. He was embarrassed enough about the situation as it was.

"I'm sorry?" she asked in a confused manner.

"S-sorry… I as hoping I could just use the loo in here…" he said pointing to the open doorway.

"Are you sure? We don't have any crutches on hand and a wheel chair seems silly to only go that far. Do you think you can hop on your good foot?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied in relief.

"Alright then, let's try," she said, temporarily disconnecting the heart monitor.

Linda helped Harry swing his legs off the bed and stand on his right foot. He quickly made sure that the hospital gown was tied tightly at the back so that his bottom wouldn't stick out. Linda was the only one in the room, but he felt the need to preserve what little dignity he had left. She then held him by the left elbow to steady him and grabbed the pole that held the IV that they would have to drag along with them.

It was slow going hopping on one foot and Harry found that his injuries prevented him from moving very fast. Linda practically carried him all the way there. At one point she looked as if she wanted to pick the small teen up, but thought better of it. He would only be more embarrassed than he already was.

Once they reached the restroom, she left Harry alone to do his business. He quickly relieved himself, standing on one foot and holding onto the wall with his left hand. Once he finished and called Linda back in he realized just how much pain he was really in.

He tried to hop back to bed again, but found that he could barely move due to the pain. Between his injured ribs and back and his aching foot it didn't look like Harry could make it back on his own. Linda quickly swooped him up and carried him the last few feet and placed him promptly on his bed.

Unfortunately, Harry found no comfort in lying down again. After being horizontal for most of the evening, the blood had rushed down to his ankle as soon as he stood up. Now it was beginning to throb painfully inside his cast. It was all he could do not to cry out. He blinked back the tears that threatened to fall down his face and squeezed the hand rails on either side of his bd.

If Harry didn't know better he would have sworn that the pain was caused by someone casting the Cruciatus Curse directly onto his ankle. It hurt that bad.

Linda saw the amount of pain that he was in and that his knuckles on his hands were turning white as he gripped the rails more tightly. His heartbeat, which had slowed considerably earlier, began to race once again. She rushed out of the room in search of the doctor.

When she returned with Dr. Rosenthal minutes later, Harry saw that he had a syringe in his hand. He was about to protest that he didn't want a shot when he saw that it was being administered into his IV, liked the iodine had before. Within a minute or so, Harry began to feel instant relief.

"T-thanks," he said weakly, releasing his grip on the bed. "What was that?"

"It's a synthetic form of morphine that has fewer side effects. It's called morphina…" Dr. Rosenthal explained.

"I like morphina," said Harry as he began to feel dopey.

A warmness settled around his chest as his pain subsided considerably. He felt more relaxed than he had all day. He was so exhausted he could barely keep his eyes open anymore. Soon he drifted off to sleep hoping that everything that had happened to him tonight was some kind of horrible nightmare. Maybe tomorrow he would wake up back in Dudley's second bedroom at the Dursleys' residence and forget any of this had ever happened.

Unfortunately, none of this was a dream, as Harry quickly realized as he awoke the next morning. To make matters worse, Harry had some unwanted visitors that come see him the following day, further turning his world upside down. Based on what they had to say, he was beginning to think he would never see the wizarding world again.

A/N: Hee-hee, a little foreshadowing there for you. Sorry about all the medical jargon and drama… again this is a way for me to deal with what happened to me. I also wanted his hospital stay to be as realistic as possible. I know you were probably hoping to see Ron and Harry together in this chapter. Most authors would gloss over the details and sum everything up in a paragraph or two. I didn't want to do that. Realism is one of my goals for this story. In case you are wondering, Harry sustained a few more injuries than I did, but I'm hoping that you can't tell the difference between fact and fiction. Hedwig will be arriving with Ron's note in the next chapter.

A/N2: What did you think about my explanation of Harry's wand? I have no idea what Dungeons and Dragons really is or how it is played, but it seemed like a plausible explanation. The game was played a lot in the 80's… that's all I really know about it.

**Many thanks to all my reviewers and readers!**


	5. Ray of Hope

**Chapter 5- Ray of Hope**

Harry awoke early the next morning feeling rather disoriented. His first thoughts were that he should get up and make the Dursleys breakfast before he had to go to work at the clinic. But then he felt the aches and pains of the accident and he realized that the horrible nightmare last night really wasn't a dream.

Turning his head slightly he saw the blurry images of people talking just outside his hospital room. Without his glasses it was difficult to make out much of anything. He squinted and thought he saw a woman that he had never met before talking to Dr. Rosenthal and a man that looked an awful lot like Officer Jeperson. They seemed to be discussing something serious by the tone of their hushed voices.

Harry tried to lay as still as possible in hopes that he might be able to catch a piece of their conversation, but as luck would have it the inner part of his leg began to itch just inside of his cast. He tried to ignore it, but when the itch became almost torturous he tried to scratch it with the big toe of his right foot. He moved slowly, hoping that they wouldn't notice he was awake. But the crisp hospital sheets rubbed against one another alerting them that he was no longer sleeping.

Their blurry heads whipped around and stared directly at him. They then looked at one another and nodded as if they silently agreed that it was time to talk to him.

Harry quickly stopped scratching and closed his eyes. He knew that it was stupid to pretend he was still asleep, but he could think of no other alternative at the moment. He was terrified by what these people wanted from him. He heard them enter the room and stand beside his bed.

"Harry…" the woman called. Harry refused to open his eyes. He was afraid of what they wanted to talk about with him. "Harry…. I know you're not asleep…"

Harry sighed deeply and opened his eyes as he turned his head to face them. He found himself looking at the police officer who had tried to question him earlier and a middle aged woman dressed in a navy blue suit holding leather bound notebook.  She seemed like a no-nonsense kind of person and Harry wondered how he was going to deal with the both of them. Dr. Rosenthal, which Harry was surprised to see was still here after a long night, was apparently checking on his other patients again because he didn't come in with them. For some reason he wished that Linda or Laura could be here with him right now as they questioned him.

"Harry, I believe you know Officer Jeperson here already… my name is Margaret Mitchell and I'm with Social Services I'll be the social worker in charge of your case," she said, brushing a stray piece of brown hair out of her face.

"My case?" he asked softly, wringing his hands together nervously. The glare he was receiving from the police officer reminded him way too much of Professor Snape. Officer Jeperson stood at the foot of his bed with his arms crossed over his chest watching his every move. Harry felt like he had done something wrong by the way these to people were scrutinizing him.

"Yes, your case. There has been a report of child abuse and neglect made by the hospital on your behalf. We need to speak to you about what happened last night and about your living situation with your relatives," she stated firmly.

"I don't want to…" Harry shifted uncomfortably realizing the pain killer he was given last night had worn off long ago. At least the pain wasn't as bad as it was last night. That had been excruciating.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice," the social worker replied, looking at him solemnly.

"I told you before I don't remember what happened in the car accident," Harry replied, looking away from the officer's glare. He had promised himself that he would stick to his original lie no matter what. There was always the chance that he would be still be sent home to the Dursleys and he didn't want them thinking that he had ratted Uncle Vernon out.

"But the doctors all say that you never lost consciousness and you only have a mild concussion. Based on what they tell us you should be able to tell at least something about that night," Officer Jeperson tried, walking closer to him with his arms still crossed in an intimidating manner.

"I'm telling you, I don't remember!"

The policeman looked like he still didn't believe him and eyed him suspiciously. "We found an open bottle of whiskey on the floor of your uncle's car. A blood alcohol test has confirmed that your uncle was over the legal limit at the time of the accident. Did he cause the accident?"

Harry merely shrugged and looked away hoping their line of questioning would soon end. "Harry?" asked Ms. Mitchell.

"I said I don't know!" Harry shouted, wincing as he felt his ribs begin to ache under all the wrappings.

"There's no need to get upset, Harry. You haven't done anything wrong. We just want to know the truth. Lying will only make matters worse in the end," said the social worker, taking a seat beside him. Now that she was eye level with him it was getting much harder to ignore their questions.

"I'm not upset…and I'm not lying! I really don't know what happened in the accident." His heart was racing again, and he didn't know how much longer he could handle these two people before he lost it completely. There was a huge lump in the back of his throat and his eyes stung with the need to produce tears.

"Okay, Harry let's talk about something else. When you arrived at the hospital the doctors discovered that in addition to your recent injuries…" Ms. Mitchell opened the leather notebook she was carrying and read from her notes, _"The young man was severely malnourished and was covered it numerous bruises and cuts that were not related to the accident as they were several days old. His back was covered with what appears to be welts that we suspect may have been sustained from being whipped by a belt…"_

Listening to the way the doctors had described his condition made what happened to him sound so much worse. He stared at his hands in his lap and began wringing them together once again, a nervous habit he found himself using more and more often lately.

"Who has been beating you? Was it your uncle? Your aunt?" she asked.

"I got hurt in the accident…" Harry tried to explain, not looking at either one of them.

Ms. Mitchell gave Harry a knowing look that told him that she knew what he was trying to do. "We know that, but you have injuries that are clearly much older than what happened last night."

"I fell down the stairs…" He tried again. It was the standard reply that the Dursleys has told him to give whenever someone started asking him questions.

"I highly doubt that," said the officer, snorting in disbelief.

Ms. Mitchell decided to switch tactics and began to ask him a different line of questions. "How long have you been with the Dursleys?" she asked, getting ready to write down his responses in her notebook.

"Since I was one and half," said Harry. She scribbled down what he said.

"And why were you placed in their care?"

"My parents were killed in a car accident…" he lied, using the explanation he was given for nearly ten years of his life. It seemed wrong to dishonor their memory like that, but Harry couldn't very well tell these Muggles that his parents were killed by a powerful wizard.

"How do you like living with the Dursleys?"

Harry wanted to say, _"I hate it there,"_ but instead he said, "It's okay."

"And when did your uncle start hitting you?" Ms. Mitchell asked smoothly.

Harry hadn't expected her to go back to that question so soon. "I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Does your aunt hit you?"

"No!" he exclaimed. The most Aunt Petunia ever did was slap him across the face and occasionally threaten to hit him with a frying pan. She always left Vernon to deal with his punishments.

"Then how did you get all those bruises?"

"I fell down-"

"-the stairs," the social worker finished for him. "Yes, you said that before, but I don't believe you. I think your uncle has been beating you, and you're trying to protect him for some reason."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Harry muttered quietly, picking at a loose thread on his blanket.

"Then maybe these will jog your memory," she said. The social worker searched through her papers in her notebook and held up two Polaroid pictures in front of him. Harry knew that they must have been taken when he first came into the hospital. One was of his front and the other was of his back.  She tried to hand them to Harry, but he refused to take them from her. He just stared at himself in the pictures instead.

The bruising on his torso was more significant than he thought. Dark purple, blue, red, and yellowish green marks covered most of his body. You could easily tell he had received them at different points in time because they were healing at various degrees. The welts on his backs were from a punishment Harry received a week ago and had already begun to heal. Seeing how red ugly they were Harry knew that they would probably leave scarring on his back. Sadly, he realized that he would never be able to undress in front of his dorm mates again without a glamour charm; that is if he ever saw them again. Why was life so complicated?

Unable to look at himself any longer he looked away. He didn't have to see the pictures anymore. The image of his back was now permanently etched in his memory; a further reminder how just how pathetic and weak he really was. He hated what his life had become.

"You mean to tell me that all of these bruises and welts came from falling down the stairs?" asked Ms. Mitchell looking at the pictures herself once again. Harry nodded. "Then you must have fallen down the stairs a dozen times in the last week alone. You expect us to believe that you are really that clumsy?"

"Just leave me alone…" he said sadly, trying to swallow the lump in the back of his throat.

"Harry, you do know it's wrong what he does to you, right? No child should ever be beaten with a belt like that…"

Harry didn't say anything and closed his eyes tightly, fighting the tears that still wanted to fall. He pursed his lips to control his now trembling chin.  _"But I do deserve it after what I did to Cedric,"_ he thought mournfully_. "And for allowing Wormtail to take my blood. Voldemort's back because of me! I should have just died that night…"_

"For some reason I thought you might try to deny everything…" she sighed heavily. " When I received the report about your case I double checked our database to see if we had any other records on you. When I pulled up your file I found another claim that was made when you were eight years old," said Ms. Mitchell.

"What?" asked Harry, sounding surprised that she had additional information on him. He opened his glassy eyes and stared at her in confusion. Officer Jeperson looked at her in surprise as well. Apparently he didn't know about that piece of news.

"Do you remember a teacher you had when you were younger named Cynthia Wylan?"

Harry nodded mutely, suddenly realizing where this was going. She was the nice lady who had tried to help him, but ended up having to quit her job as a result.

"She claimed that you admitted to her that you were being abused at home, which she then reported to the proper authorities. For some reason the agent sent to your home was unable to find any conclusive evidence and the case was dismissed. I hate to say this, but I think we let you slip through the cracks on that one. If you had only said something about what was happening again we might have been able to get you out of there sooner…" she explained.

"I don't remember that…" Harry lied.

"I know you do, Harry, I can see it in your eyes. Why deny everything when you tried to get help before?  Let us help you now…"

"Please just leave me alone…" Harry said, closing his eyes again tightly.

"Why won't you tell us the truth Harry? What are afraid of?" she asked.

He wanted to say, _"I'm afraid of my uncle. I'm afraid of what he will do to me if he doesn't go to jail. I'm afraid of going to an orphanage and never seeing my friends again. I'm afraid of everyone learning my secrets and knowing how pathetic I really am. I'm afraid that the Death Eaters might find me and bring me to Voldemort. I'm afraid of what might happen to me if he ever gets his hands on me again…"_ But he remained quiet instead.

"If you are worried about your uncle we can assure you that you would be well protected. You wouldn't have to go back to the Dursleys ever again," Officer Jeperson explained, seeming to read his mind.

"But I have to…" he said. _It's the only way I'm protected from that evil monster I helped bring back to life._

"Why?" Ms. Mitchell implored. When he didn't answer her after several minutes, she sighed deeply.

"We're getting no where on this," she said to the officer.  She then directed her attention towards Harry again. "I have some paperwork that I need to go fill out in my office. I'll be back later today to speak with you again. Just so you know, once you are discharged from the hospital, I will be taking you to the Bradford Children's Home in London pending the trial. If the court finds that your aunt was involved in the neglect as well, then you can't go back to her house, regardless if your uncle is jail or not. You will probably be sent back to the Children's Home indefinitely. With any luck you may be placed into foster care," she said, trying to sound upbeat about the possibility.

That was the last thing Harry wanted to hear.  _"Children's Home?__ Isn't that a nice way of saying an orphanage… I can't go there… that place is supposed to be horrible… and the Death Eaters will be sure to find me, and if they don't how will I get to the train station on September 1st…_" thought Harry. He was truly frightened now about his future. Never before had he ever felt so unsure of anything.

"Do you have any questions?" asked Ms. Mitchell, standing up beside him again.

"There's going to be a trial? But I don't want to press charges…I can just go back to the Dursleys," Harry tried to explain.

"I'm afraid that you really don't have a say in what happens. When the situation involves a minor it's not necessary for that child to press charges. The court will look at what is in your best interest," she stated.

"But what if I don't like how they rule…" he protested.

"Sorry, Harry, but you don't have a choice in the matter. The courts are not going to willingly allow you to go back to a house where you may be abused and neglected. Listen, we'll talk about his again later. It looks like you have some breakfast to eat anyway..."

Sure enough an orderly had brought in a tray of food and was waiting patiently by the door for them to finish their conversation. "We'll talk again later," the social worker repeated. She quickly left the room followed by Officer Jeperson, who gave Harry a pointed look before he left.

The orderly said a quick hello and took the tray of untouched food left over from last night and placed the breakfast tray on the table. He then wheeled the L-shaped table over to Harry so that it was directly in front of him. The orderly left without another word.

Harry took three steadying breaths and fought the urge to cry again. He hated feeling this way and he needed to stay strong and focused if he was going to find a way out of this. He sat there for several minutes trying to come up with a solution. Running away seemed like it may be his only option, but with his injuries he wouldn't get very far. Maybe he could summon the Knight Bus, but where would he go?

As much as his stomach was protesting it, especially after the conversation he just had, Harry knew that he should probably eat at least something. He hadn't had a proper meal since he left Hogwarts and his weight was becoming a concern once again. He could probably use the energy as well if he was ever going to get himself out of here. Mrs. Weasley would certainly pitch a fit if he ever saw her again.

He grabbed a piece of sausage and munched it sulkily thinking about everything that had happened. He hadn't known what to expect when the social worker came to speak with him, and now he was thinking that things hadn't gone all that well. Keeping the secret about his home life with the Dursleys was becoming harder and harder to maintain. Ms. Mitchell had been hardly sympathetic about his plight and seemed more bent on doing her job than reassuring Harry that he would be okay. Didn't she realize how much she had upset him?

Harry decided not to dwell on this bad turn of events and took advantage of his new found luxury. He switched on the telly using the remote he had found on the table. He flipped through the channels idly, nibbling on a piece of toast and drinking some orange juice. He had only been watching the show he had found for twenty minutes when something unexpected happened.

Suddenly the remote was ripped out of his hand and the television was promptly turned off. Aunt Petunia was standing over him holding the remote in her hand. From the look on her face Harry knew that he had done something wrong.

"So nice to see you enjoying yourself while your uncle is still suffering…" she hissed, as she threw the remote onto the bed narrowly missing his cast.

"Aunt P-Petunia…" Harry stuttered, as he stared up at his mother's sister in a frightened manner. He never expected his aunt to come visit him in the hospital. He knew that she had probably been called about the accident, but he never thought she would leave her husband's side. He cast a look towards the hallway hoping to see a nurse nearby to help if things got out of hand, but saw instead that the door had closed. His aunt must have closed it behind herself when she came in. Harry never even heard her enter during his excitement over being able to watch the telly. "How is Uncle Vernon?"

"Not good, not that you would care. He has a severe concussion and was taken into emergency surgery late last night to repair his broken arm. They also had to fix his spleen because he had some internal bleeding. He's in the ICU now trying to recover from this horrible ordeal," she said, wiping away a few stray tears.

"Where's Dudley?" Harry asked, knowing Petunia would never leave her precious son home alone.

"Sitting with your uncle…waiting for him to wake up…" she said tearfully. "I can't believe this has happened to my poor husband…"

_"Poor husband?"_ thought Harry. _"What about me? I'm hurt too!"_

"N-none of this would have hap-pened if he didn't start d-drinking again!" Harry muttered angrily. He hated the fact that his relatives could frighten him so much that he began to stutter. It was a childhood affliction that he struggled with when he was younger. Thankfully a speech therapist in his old Muggle school had helped him with it, but it always seemed to creep back when he was scared. It mostly only happened with Vernon.

His aunt slapped him hard across the face for his comment. "How dare you! The only reason he was drinking is because of the mess you caused in our family. Everything was fine until you came home!"

Harry raised his hand carefully to where she had slapped and held his cheek, his eyes burning fiercely.

"The accident should have never happened, and I'm holding you responsible!  The car is a complete write-off and the insurance may not cover it. And my dear sweet husband is lying in pain while we wait to find out if he is going to go to jail for drunk driving. The other driver had to be taken into emergency surgery too and his family may sue us. This is all your fault!" she spat at him angrily.

.

Harry looked at her incredulously. "How is this _m-my_ fault? I wasn't the one d-drinking! I wasn't the one driving!" he shouted in self defense. His face still stung from where she had struck him.

"You must have done something to make the car get into an accident... with your freakishness.  I just know it… you have always been jealous of the attention we give Dudley. You just wanted some attention of your own! Look at you in your fancy hospital room being waited on hand and foot. You don't deserve it!" She screamed pointing her finger in his face.

"I d-don't want to be here! They've been harassing m-me with questions!" Harry tried to explain. How could she actually think that he wanted to be in the hospital?

"I know… they've been trying to talk to me as well. But from what I've heard, you didn't know well enough to keep quiet about things other people may not understand…" she hissed.

"I didn't tell them anything!" Harry protested before she could finish.

She glared again at him angrily. "You ungrateful worthless little freak! Yes you have! They told me that they think Vernon is beating you. After everything we have done for you… you have the nerve to start spreading rumors about us!" Aunt Petunia looked toward the ceiling with disgust, and Harry had the distinct impression that looking at him would only make her realize the truth. That what everyone was telling her about her husband was real.

"No, I haven't… I d-didn't s-say anything…" he replied, staring down at his lap.

Petunia grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her. "You little liar! You told them that we don't treat you right. The doctors keep questioning me about Vernon being a violent man… they actually asked me if he beats _me!_ Can you imagine?"

Harry looked at his aunt sadly. Her right eye was still puffy and bruised and her left arm was now wrapped in a sling. He no idea what other injuries she had, but it was clear that Vernon was in fact beating her. The poor woman was in denial.

"But Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon does h-hurt you…."

She grabbed his upper arm harshly and spat, "You shut your mouth! Do you hear me? Vernon gets upset sometimes… he doesn't mean to get like he does… besides it's all your fault anyway! Vernon acts the way he does because he has to put up with you! Your abnormality has already cost this family much more than I can bear!" As she screamed she shook his upper body to make him understand.

"I-I'm s-sorry…" Harry said, trying to get his arm back from her wrenching grasp. His eyes were filling with tears yet again.

"I don't want to hear it…you will shut your mouth and not tell those people another word if you know what's good for you. When you get home… so help me god… you are going to be in a world of hurting…" she held onto him more tightly.

"But the social worker said I'm going to a Children's Home…she said…" Harry tried to explain.

"I don't care what some social worker says. You will be coming back with us. We have our lawyer already working out a deal. Vernon will most likely get off the drunk driving charge since it's his first offense, and if you keep your mouth shut then he will get out of this mess you have created as well," she said finally releasing his arm.

"I-I didn't say anything… they said they it doesn't matter when it comes to minors…" said Harry, rubbing his sore arm.

"Believe me, this system can be manipulated. You may have caused your uncle to become bankrupt, but he still has some friends in high places…"

Her comment was frightening to say the least, because what she said was probably true. It was how Uncle Vernon got out of the abuse charges when Harry was only eight. Would he really have to go back to that house with Vernon? Would he even survive to make it back to Hogwarts in the fall?

"Promise me you won't say a word about what goes on in our household!" Petunia said, grabbing her purse from where she had thrown it on a chair earlier.

"I p-promise," Harry stuttered, looking down at his lap once again.

"Oh, and don't even think about contacting any of those freaks from your world either! You will only make your uncle more upset, and besides they probably don't even care about you anyway…"

"Yes they do!" Harry protested. Ron and Hermione cared about him. And Sirius was his godfather, so he had to care about him too, right?

"If that was true would you be here in the first place? You would think that they would check on you if they truly cared about you… Maybe they finally figured out how worthless and pathetic you really are. Just like your father…"

Harry couldn't think of a rebuttal to her harsh words; he was too much in shock over the whole situation.

"I need to go check on my husband now. I will be back again to make sure that you kept that promise," said Petunia, swiftly leaving the room.

As she left, Harry felt tears trickle down his face. He promised himself that he would stay strong, but his aunt's words stung him more than she would ever know. He couldn't stop the pain that was manifesting itself in his tears.

_"What she said couldn't be true! My friends care about me and so does Sirius! They have always been there for me when I needed it… well, there was that incident with Ron last year, but I forgave him for that long ago. He just didn't understand everything at the time. He cares about me… I think… I hope…" _Harry thought desperately.

He was terrified now what was going to happen to him. He had been afraid when he learned that he would be going to the Children's Home, but the thought of returning to the Dursleys now seemed horrifying. Especially if Vernon was let off all the charges like his aunt had said. He needed help, but he had no idea how to go about getting it.

He lay there in bed for the next hour trying to figure out what he should do. The cold breakfast was now left untouched and the telly remained off. The new shift nurse had come to check on him and told him Linda had left to go home while he was sleeping. Seeing that Harry wasn't really responsive to her, she told him to get some rest and closed the door again behind her.

Harry was desperate to see his friends now. He had known loneliness before while he stayed at the Dursleys, but it was never like this. He felt hollow inside like he would never be happy again. If he didn't know better he could have sworn there was a Dementor near by sucking all the happiness right out of him.

He stared out the window at the clouds passing by. Still without his glasses, it was difficult to see anything, but he swore he could see something moving among the clouds if he squinted the right way. The blur came closer and closer until Harry realized what he was looking at.

Like an angel of mercy, a snowy white owl flew towards the hospital on silent wings. Gliding effortlessly through the clouds searching for her master, she finally came to rest on the window ledge of his hospital room.

"Hedwig!" Harry shouted, excited to see a friendly face after all he had been through. She ruffled her feathers excitedly and pecked at the hospital window. It had been a month since he had last seen her and she was certainly a sight for sore eyes.

She looked rather tired and Harry wondered if she had first flown to the Dursleys before coming here. _"She must have flown all night looking for me,"_ Harry thought.

Through the window Harry could see that she had a piece of parchment attached to her leg. He hoped it was from Ron, especially since he had sent Hedwig to the Burrow at the beginning of summer. This may be his only chance to send for help from the wizarding world!

He looked back at the door to his room and saw that it was still closed. There was no lock on it so the best that he could hope for was that they wouldn't come check on him again for a while.

He swung his legs towards the window and carefully slipped off his bed to rest on his right foot. He then positioned the pole that contained his new bag of saline on the other side of the bed by scooting it around the back. He couldn't go far with the IV still in his arm. It was then he realized he was connected to the heart monitor still and that the wires wouldn't reach all the way to the window. Not knowing what else to do, he turned off the machine and unplugged himself like he had seen the nurse do before. Unfortunately, the nurses' station was connected to every room on this floor so that they could monitor everyone's condition. Sooner or later someone was going to notice that his machine had been turned off or wasn't working properly. Time was of the essence right now.

Thankfully the window was fairly close to the bed so in two short hops Harry was already there. It was still quite an effort nonetheless, and Harry felt the pain in his injuries renew. Grabbing the cord that hung from above he pulled the blinds open and pushed aside the curtain so that he could check out the window frame.

Fortunately, he was able to slide the window open fairly easy. The only problem was the screen inside the frame. "Watch out, Hedwig!" said Harry, as he began to push on the screen. The snowy owl hopped to the side out of the way.  At first, it wouldn't budge, but after three good pushes it finally came out of the frame and fell five stories into a group of bushes below.

Without hesitating, the snowy owl flew into the hospital room in a flurry. She rested on Harry's shoulder and nuzzled his head affectionately. Harry reached up with a tired arm and stroked her soft feathers.

"Oh girl, you have no idea how good it is to see you…" said Harry as he sat back down in his bed with his beloved pet.

He then took the parchment from her and unrolled it carefully. The writing was difficult to make out without his glasses, but squinting seemed to help. His hands began to shake with emotion as he read the contents of the letter. It was from Ron! What were the odds that his best mate would pick today, of all days, to send him a letter? It seemed like fate. He had thought for sure that Ron wouldn't want anything to do with him after what had happened during the third task of the Triwizard Tournament. But here Ron was asking if he was okay and worrying about him.

Harry was touched by the letter more than he would ever willingly admit to anyone. After all the crap that had happened to him, Ron's letter was like a ray of hope amongst all the darkness reaching out to him. He felt better than he did all morning, despite the unwanted visitors he had earlier.

He read the same line over and over again several times_. "You're my best friend and I would do anything for you. All you need to do is ask."_

Could he really ask Ron for help with something like this? He wasn't so sure that Ron could possibly understand everything, but then again Harry didn't have to give him all the details. Maybe he could still hide his awful secret from his friend. He couldn't bear Ron knowing how weak he really was. The red head may not even realize it, but he put Harry on the same pedestal that everyone else did. Harry had his pride and reputation to uphold in addition to his friend's approval. He didn't know what he would do when they tried to heal him, but he figured that he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

Harry quickly decided that he would write Ron back for help. Knowing his friend he would go to his parents, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would come to his rescue. He hated to involve those kind people, but he wasn't left with many options at this point. There was no way he was going to the Children's Home and he didn't want to see the Dursleys ever again if he could help it.

Hedwig jumped down off his shoulder and perched on the table beside his bed, drinking from a glass of water that had come with his breakfast. Harry searched the nightstand beside the bed and found a blue ball point pen. He wished that he could keep the letter, but he couldn't find anything else to write on so he wrote on the other side of the parchment.

_Ron-_

_You have no idea how glad I am that you wrote to me. I'm in trouble and I need your help. My uncle and I were in a car accident last night because he was driving while drunk. I'm in __St. Andrews__Hospital__ because of my injuries (don't worry I'm fine), but a social worker might send me to the __Bradford__ Children's Home in __London__. My uncle could go to jail.  I don't think Dumbledore or anyone else knows about any of this. Can your parents come get me? Please come as soon as possible. I don't know how long they will keep me here. _

_-H_

There was so much more he wanted to say in the letter, but time was short and he didn't want to reveal any more than necessary. He noticed his handwriting was shakier than normal, but it couldn't be helped.

He realized that he was risking a lot by sending this note back to his best friend for several reasons. Death Eaters may see his owl and learn of his location. The Dursleys would be furious with him for contacting the wizarding world for help and he could be punished severely. His friends might learn about what his uncle had been doing to him all summer. But the alternatives seemed to be much worse. He would either stay indefinitely at the Children's Home, unprotected from Voldemort, or he would eventually be sent back the Dursleys if Aunt Petunia had her way. Either scenario was a situation that Harry didn't want to be in.

"I know you're tired, girl, but I need you to take this letter back to Ron…" said Harry, re-rolling the parchment and attaching it to her leg once again.

Hedwig hooted in understanding. Harry petted his friend a few more times, before she decided it was time to go. She flapped her wings and soundlessly headed out the open window, not even looking back.

Harry painfully stood up again and reached out to close the window. He realized that the screen was still missing, but hopefully no one would notice. He closed the blinds and adjusted the curtain so that everything appeared to be back to normal. Having completed this task, Harry lay down in his bed once again breathing slowly and deeply to ward off the pain. His ribs and ankle were screaming in protest after all that movement.

"What's going on? What happened to your monitor?" asked the nurse, who had suddenly come rushing into his room.

"Sorry, I accidentally pulled the wires off when I tried to move in a more comfortable position…" Harry lied, once again.

"And how did it get turned off?" she asked, reconnecting him and setting up the machine once again.

"I don't know…" Harry said sheepishly, hoping that she wouldn't ask him any more questions.

It was then that she noticed that the IV pole had been moved to the other side of the bed. "We like to keep the drip on the same side as the IV in your arm," she explained scooting the pole back behind the bed to its normal position. "Stop goofing around in here, okay? I know all this may seem cool, but the equipment in here is very sensitive. Stop touching everything," she said, sounding very annoyed.

"Okay," said Harry, yawning deeply and pretending he wanted to go to sleep. The nurse left without saying anything else, but left the door to the hall open this time; probably so he couldn't "goof around" anymore.

As he turned back to the window, Harry could no longer see his beloved pet. He was feeling rather apprehensive now about sending that note to Ron, but seeing hat he was powerless to stop Hedwig now he prayed that everything would turn out for the best. He had only asked for help once before in his entire life, and that had turned out badly. He hoped this time would turn out much better.

* * *

A/N: I know, I know…. Harry and Ron still aren't together, but as you read this was a very necessary chapter to the story's development. I know that the social worker and police officer sounded cold and unsympathetic, but you would be amazed at how many people work with children who really don't know how to interact with them. I wanted to portray the adults' frustration about Harry lying to them. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Ron and the rest of the Weasleys will appear in the next chapter.

**Many thanks to all my readers and reviewers! And huge round of applause for my amazing beta Drae!**

**blackenedsoul**, **Adenara Yatman, Lorie1101, Ami, Takuto-kun, dead yet a love sick puppy, Becca , ****Delinka****, LuV2Writ3 ** **- **Thank you so much for the reviews! I love each and everyone of you. 

**Becky**- Thanks for such a long review. I'm glad that you are loving this story so much! You're right about his panic attack. It was a delayed reaction and a chink in the armor so to speak. As you can see from this chapter, the cracks in the walls around himself are beginning to widen.

**Isis-mystic**- I'm glad that all the hospital stuff seems real and that you felt like you were watching ER. I'm amazed I have been able to pull off this story so far having no medical knowledge whatsoever. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

**Alice Dodgson** – I agonized over this chapter as much as the last one to get the emotions Harry was feeling to be right. Thank you for your comments as they help me to reflect on my writing.

**Dea**** Puella** – Thank for reviewing every chapter. I appreciate it. Most readers wait until the end to review. Your kind words inspired me to write.

**Englishgirl **– Thanks for the review. As far as I know Child Protective Services is a branch of Social Services, which deals domestic abuse and other such things. I could be wrong, however. Don't worry about Harry's heart. He will be just fine. His racing heartbeat was merely a reflection of all the stress and anxiety he was put through. (This happened to me so I know it's possible. I later received an EKG and found out my heart was alright). I'm so sorry to hear that you have a heart problem. I hope that you are able to lead a long and productive life despite your ailment.

**Jay-Jay** – I'm so glad that I made your night! LOL. I hope you liked this chapter.

**Shania Maxwell- **Well, since this story is AU, and I'm not having the Order post guards around Privet Drive like in OoTP (Mrs. Figg is keeping watch though), I hope that it is somewhat believable that no one knows Harry is missing yet. In the story's time frame only 12 or so hours (overnight) has passed at the beginning of this chapter. And if you think about, nobody in the wizarding world in the canon questioned the fact that Harry grew up in a cupboard and was neglected.

**Alynna Lis Eachann- **I'm glad that you liked my wand explanation. I was a little worried about that.

**Short Fat Fag-** You said in your review "I see you Mary Sue'd yourself into the next bed"… did you mean the screaming girl with the broken ankle? Because that was not me! When I was in the trauma room after my accident they actually brought in another girl who was also in a bad accident… the weather was horrible that day… anyway, she literally screamed _"Kill me please!"_ for like two hours.  I couldn't calm down she was irritating me so badly… Ugh! I wanted to scream at her _"My ankle hurts too you bitch now shut the fuck up!"_ but I didn't… anyway… I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

**Semirhage**- I'm glad that you're reading my story and I do hope that I can convert you. I'll try to be careful about the shopping thing… if I even decide to do that.

**Wynjara**- Were the 'unwanted visitors' what you expected? No one saw Hedwig, thankfully, and she's currently on her way to Ron.

**Kayin-No-Kaze- **Sorry you were in the hospital as well.  I hate them! Keep on reading!

**littlewitch1899- **You will have to wait a while for the boy/boy action but it will happen eventually.

**alternativelyspliced- **Thanks for such a long review. I find them very helpful. Your favorite line from the last chapter was mine was well. Yeah… I thought about the Grangers, but since Harry has never called them before, I thought that he wouldn't think of it at a time like this. And it would be awkward for him to reach out to them… especially since Hermione isn't home right now. (Ron revealed in chapter 3 that she is in Romania with Victor Krum). It's a bit of a plot hole, but one that I'm ignoring right now. Also, thank you for your comments on EOTM. The sequel will be coming along shortly.

**sou85a** – Thanks for your all your input. You actually sneaked out of bed to use the toilet. LOL

**Benjis VIP**- Hedwig is on the way to the Weasleys as we speak to deliver Harry's letter.

**Celebony- **Harry is going to try as hard as possible to keep the abuse a secret. He hopes that the drunk driving scenario will be enough to explain the reason why he may be sent to a Children's Home. You will see how he handles this soon. Want to hear something funny? I think I sub-consciously stole your one of your chapter titles for Flawed Perfection as the title of this story. I just realized. Oops! I hope you don't mind.

**Always Confused- **No, I don't think that you are weird. I'm not into any of that, but that doesn't mean I can't understand. Who am I to judge, I write fan fiction for goodness sakes. Damn you… you read my mind again! Voldemort is out there and his presence will be much more significant this summer than it was in an OoTP… do I have you hooked yet?

**Amy2k- **Thank you for saying that you feel Harry is still in character despite everything. That is important to me. I think Dungeons and Dragons is a board game, but that there is role-playing of some kind… I really don't know. Thanks for the review.

**acciodanrad9- **I'm glad that you are enjoying the story and that you are looking forward to each chapter. Ouch! A dislocated knee can't be fun.

**Agnus Dei**- Your comment about this story being "more natural then the other stories I've read," made me smile. That was a huge compliment believe it or not. That would be so awesome if RW/HP was the new DM/HP. I love both! I'll try my best.

**Kierra****- **Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm pleased that my readers don't mind that I'm taking my time with this story.

**Rini Sayian-jin- **Thanks again for reviewing...  I'll do my best.

**SiriusLivesOn****- ** Thank you so much! I actually inspire? Who knew! If you get an account through (which should cost you nothing unless you won't the special features) you can sign up for Author Alert which will automatically email you to let you know when you favorite authors have updated. Its an incredible feature and its much easier on me because then I don't have to keep track of who I'm supposed to email for which stories. If you insist that I suppose I could…. Anyway, keep on reading.


	6. Rescuing a Lost Boy

A/N: I promised myself that I would keep the chapters for this story somewhat shorter, but my muse got carried away once again. So here is a nice long chapter for you. Don't expect them to be this length in the future. (Although knowing me, they will probably be this long anyway). Feel bad for my poor beta _Drae_ who had to deal with two stories at the same time!

**Chapter 6- Rescuing a Lost Boy**

"Dammit! You stupid gnome! Go gnaw on somebody else!" screamed Ron, as he tried to kick the garden gnome as it ran away to join the others on the other side of the hedge.

"Calm down, Ron. It's just a scratch!" said Ginny, as she twirled around and hoisted another pesky gnome over the hedge. She then dusted off her hands and tried to examine his hurt finger. But Ron wouldn't let her get near him.

"Just a scratch! You didn't have one almost bite your finger off!" complained Ron, using his right hand to squeeze his index finger on his left hand to stop the bleeding. It was throbbing painfully now.

It had been Ron and Ginny's turn to take care of the garden. Fred and George were holed up in their room experimenting again and had promised that they would do it next time. Of all the chores that they were required to do here at the Burrow, de-gnoming the garden was by far the worst. The small, leathery looking gnomes with knobby bald heads could deliver quite a bite when they wanted too. The only good thing about the whole situation was that they were quite stupid. They always seemed to come out of their holes when a de-gnoming was going on to see what all the fuss was about. You would think that the poor creatures would realize by now that they would eventually be caught and sent flying over the hedge as well. But apparently a wizarding garden brimming with fresh herbs and vegetables was too good to pass up. They came back time and time again.

"Oh, go on inside you big baby and have mum fix you up. I'll finish up here," said Ginny, adjusting her long red hair back into its ponytail. With her hair out of her face again, she set out in search of another garden pest.

"Fine!" said Ron. "But don't expect me to help you clear the table tonight after dinner. It's still your turn." He didn't know why he was being cross with Ginny. She hadn't done anything to him, but for some reason he found himself being really irritated with her nonetheless.

"Whatever, Ron…" Ginny said in an irritated tone, picking up another potato looking gnome by the ankles.

Ron quickly crossed the dusty yard and stomped his way up the rickety wooden steps calling for his mother. Molly Weasley had been tidying up in the kitchen when she heard her youngest son calling for her.

"What is it dear?" she asked, as she put away some pots she had been cleaning into one of the cabinets.

Ron silently held up his finger to show her the damage. Small ribbons of blood had coursed their way down his hand and were now beginning to dry. "Got bitten again, did ya?" Ron bit his lip in pain and nodded in response.

"Well have yourself a seat at the table and let me grab my healing kit," she replied. Molly returned quickly with her wand and a brown shoe box that contained ointment and potions and other things that she used to heal the numerous injuries her children seemed to get while at the Burrow. She sat down at the table and eyed her son, who was sitting there unusually quiet.

She gently took her son's hand and used her wand to cast a spell that cleaned the wound. She then applied a healing salve which she carefully rubbed in making sure that she covered the wounded flesh evenly. After a few minutes, Ron's hand was as good as new. You couldn't even tell that he had ever been bitten.

Seeing that Ron was still uncharacteristically quiet, she wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and turned her attention to him. She then took his now healed hand in both of hers and patted it gently, looking into his seemingly lifeless eyes. "What's troubling you?"

Ron shrugged uncertainly, knowing his mother knew him better than he knew himself. Often he didn't even realize he was upset until she pointed it out that something was bothering him. Mothers seem to have a knack for that sort of thing.

"Is it Harry? You haven't heard from him yet, have you?" she asked.

"No, I haven't. I'm getting really worried too…" Ron admitted. He had had a bad feeling that he couldn't seem to shake and he realized now that he had been subconsciously thinking of Harry all day. He couldn't explain it, but something inside of him told him that there was something wrong. He just knew it somehow and it was killing him that he didn't know what was going on with his best friend.

"I'm sure he will reply to your letter soon, Ron. And if he doesn't then I'll ask Dumbledore to send Arabella over there again to check on him to make sure there is nothing wrong. I heard that she has seen him on a few occasions in the evenings working out in the yard and that he said he was fine. And we know that the Death Eaters are unaware of his location because none of the wards had gone off," said Molly, trying to reassure her son.

"He always says that…" Ron said softly, taking his hand back and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Says what?" she asked, confused by what her son meant.

"That he's fine…"

She was going to press him further on the matter, when she spotted a familiar bird flying towards the Burrow. "Looks like you won't have to wait much longer on that letter," she said, opening the kitchen window to allow Harry's owl in.

"Hedwig!" Ron exclaimed, petting the snowy owl as she came to rest on the owl perch by the window. She looked rather tired, and Molly soon gave her a bowl of water and some owl treats to perk her up.

Ron wasted no time grabbing the parchment from her leg. He swiftly began to unroll it, but to his dismay he found only his own handwriting inside. He felt his heartbeat quicken in fear at the thought that Hedwig might not have been able to find her master. Quickly turning the parchment over, he found Harry's messy scrawl in blue pen on the other side.

Reading the contents of the letter, Ron felt his stomach turn over with worry. He began to shake ever so lightly as he re-read the short note several times. _Oh no! Harry needs my help!_

"We have to go and get him right _now_!" he relayed to his mother, not tearing his eyes away from the awful letter.

"Ronnie? What is it?" asked Molly, concerned about her son's behavior. It was obvious by the expression on his face and his body language that something was wrong.

"Harry's uncle was driving while drunk. They've been in a car accident and Harry is in the hospital hurt! His uncle may go to jail and Harry will be sent to a Children's Home!" he said exasperatedly, his eyes somewhat glassy with emotion as he looked up at his mother.

"What?" she asked in disbelief. Ron handed her the note and she read it for herself. "What's a Children's Home?"

"I think it must be some kind of orphanage…" Ron replied. "He can't go there. We have to go and get him!"

Ron realizing for the first time how awful it must be for Harry to grow up without parents. His best mate never talked about it so it was easy to forget sometimes that he really was an orphan. He really was all alone in the world. Those awful relatives have never cared for him a day in his life and his own godfather can't even take him in because he is still a wanted criminal_. "It must be awful not having any family to turn to when you need them," _he thought to himself.

"Oh dear… oh no… this won't do at all… he won't be protected there… oh that poor boy… he must be terrified…" his mother began rambling as she paced around the kitchen.

"Do you think Dumbledore knows?" asked Ron hopefully.

"He mustn't or else he would have contacted us. He knows how we worry about him…"

Seeing his mother so worried about Harry made Ron even more upset. His best friend in the whole world was lying in some strange hospital all alone. And he was actually asking for his help, and Harry never asks for help. _He must be desperate!_

Ron watched as his mother threw some powder into the fire and called her husband at work. After finding the right Ministry fireplace she yelled, "Arthur! I need you home right now! This is an emergency!"

Within seconds the family's patriarch was stepping out of the fireplace looking thoroughly alarmed. "What's wrong? What's happened?"

"It's Harry…" Ron said miserably, as Molly handed him the letter. "We need to bring him here to the Burrow. He isn't safe anymore!"

"Oh no…" Arthur said, reading the parchment for himself. "We need to speak to Dumbledore before we do anything. Is he still at headquarters?"

"I believe so…" said Molly.

"Good, let's go! Ron, we will be back as soon as possible. Stay here with your brothers and sister," said his father, apparating out of the kitchen. His mother soon disappeared with another audible crack right behind him.

Ron was left standing alone his mouth open wide in astonishment. He couldn't believe his parents had left without telling him what they were going to do. Harry had asked for his help and he determined to see his friend no matter.

Disregarding his parents orders, he grabbed a handful of floo powder and stepped into the fireplace. He soon found himself tumbling out into the living room of Black Manor at Number 12, Grimmauld Place. He and Ginny had only been there a few times this summer, when his parents had to attend a meeting with the Order of the Phoenix. The organization was a secret society created by Dumbledore that was determined to stop the rise of You-Know-Who.

Listening carefully, he could hear voices coming from the kitchen. Ron tiptoed his way across the darkened hallway and then down a short series of steps that led to the kitchen. Stopping at the door, he turned his head so he could hear what was going on. It sounded as if several people were crammed in there discussing Harry.

"This is a disaster…" someone said.

"Maybe we should have the Ministry handle this!" said another.

"Are you kidding? They would turn this into a publicity stunt and there's no telling where Harry would end up!" said Ron's father. "He's coming home with us!"

"Thank you for offering to take him in Arthur, but I feel…" an old man's voice began.

His mother let out an exasperated cry. "Don't tell me that he can't stay with us! You know that the Burrow is protected well enough with all the new wards that we've established. We've been asking you to let him come since the beginning of the summer!"

"I suppose it would be alright, but I would feel more comfortable if there was an Order member with him at all times. There's no telling when Voldemort will make his next move," said the old man, which Ron now recognized as the headmaster.

"What do we look like, sir? We are Order members! And so are Charlie and Bill, they may be coming home soon as well!" said Molly. "Let's stop discussing how Harry will be protected right now and get him out of there before anyone else realizes he's missing!"

"Yes, but we need a plan…" said someone else in the room.

"This is ridiculous! We can't wait for all that! We need to get him out of the hospital as soon as possible!" he heard his mother yell. Ron suddenly realized then where he got his temper from.

"Yes, I understand, but this needs to be handled delicately. We don't know if there are Death Eaters watching the hospital. We also need to be careful about how we handle the Muggle doctors and nurses. If they sense anything out of the ordinary they may become alarmed and alert their authorities. We can't just apparate him out of there either. It would only cause them to panic. Too many people have come in contact with him by now, and we can't obliviate them all," the headmaster said carefully.

"Dumbledore is right. We'll all be in hot water with the Ministry if any of the Muggles suspect something out of the ordinary. This needs to be done without magic if possible," said a voice that had also spoken up earlier.

Ron pressed his ear up closer to the door and listened intently about how they were going to rescue Harry.

"No, problem. Molly and I will go. I have experience with Muggles and I'm not afraid of any please men," said Arthur. "We'll just pose as distant cousins of the boy on his father's side and explain that we are willing to take him in instead of him going to the Children's Home."

"Its _policemen_ not _please_ men. And I hate to butt in here, but you may think you understand Muggle things, but you do not understand Muggle people," said a young woman's voice that Ron couldn't place at first.

"What are you saying?" asked Dumbledore.

"You're going to need someone to act as your representative or lawyer or something, or the Muggles aren't going to release him into your care. There are probably procedures that they must follow. I would like to help. My father was Muggle-born and he raised me to understand both the wizarding and Muggle world. I could pose as…"

At that moment Ron lost his balance while attempting to hear the conversation better and accidentally fell forward. Unfortunately the kitchen door was the kind that swings inward, and Ron soon found himself sprawled on the stone floor. Lifting he gaze, he stared up at several angry and surprised adults looking down on him.

"Ron! What are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay at the Burrow!" Arthur yelled, picking his son up by his shirt and setting him upright.

"I want to know what's going on with Harry. He asked for my help and I want to go with you to the hospital," Ron explained, looking at the adults faces hoping they would be sympathetic.

"I'm afraid I cannot allow that. It's too dangerous," said Dumbledore.

"You don't understand. I'm his best friend! He needs me!" Ron pleaded, looking at the faces around him. From his previous visits to Black Manor he was able to recognize a young woman named Tonks, Kinglsey Shacklebolt, Mundungus Fletcher, and Hestia Jones among the numerous faces, but he didn't know a few of the others. It seemed as if some sort of meeting had been interrupted by news about Harry.

The headmaster sighed heavily. "That very well may be, but you are not going. If you wish you may wait for him in the Hogwarts infirmary. He may have injuries that Madam Pomfrey will need to heal when he returns."

"But..." Ron began to complain; realizing that he wouldn't be permitted to go filled him with despair.

Seeing his distress, his mother reached out for him and pulled him into a tight embrace. "Don't you worry, Ronnie. We will bring Harry home safely…" she whispered in his ear so that the others wouldn't hear. "I know you're worried, but I need you to stay out of the way for now."

"But mum…" Ron whined, becoming increasingly more upset.

"No buts! Now you go on and floo to Hogwarts. We will be along shortly," she explained. "When you get there make sure you fire call your brothers and sister so that they know what's going on or they'll be worried when they realize we're missing."

Ron stormed across the kitchen to the fireplace on the far wall. How dare they keep him from Harry! Never before had he ever been so angry with his parents.

As he reached the fireplace he heard Dumbledore issuing orders. Diggle, Fletcher, Podmore and Shacklebolt would be stationed outside the hospital and search for any possible threat. His parents and Tonks would handle the doctors and nurses and get Harry out of the hospital, hopefully without attracting any attention.

Feeling helpless once again, Ron grabbed a handful of floo powder and soon found himself in the Hogwarts infirmary. After explaining the situation to the school nurse and fire calling his siblings, he stationed himself at Harry's usual bed and waited.

* * *

A short while later, a small group of witches and wizards found themselves being escorted to St. Andrews Hospital in a car borrowed, without consent, from the Ministry. They pulled up to the main entrance, and three adults got out of the vehicle and walked towards the main doors as nonchalantly as possible. The driver pulled away and parked nearby in the adjoining parking lot to wait. 

Arthur and Molly Weasley and Nymphadora Tonks were on a mission to rescue Harry Potter, who was currently lying somewhere in this hospital as a result of his injuries. The Order had decided that it was in Harry's best interest if he were taken from the hospital and brought to Hogwarts to heal properly. The boy had mentioned that he may be placed in some sort of Children's Home, for reasons they weren't exactly clear on, and they needed to ensure that didn't happen.

Molly Weasley had never been in a Muggle hospital before, and she had no idea what to expect. She was nervous beyond belief as she was completely out of her element. She didn't understand Muggle ways and preferred to distance herself from that strange world. She liked the comfort and familiarity that the wizarding world offered. Arthur on the other hand was taking everything in with amazement. He loved all things Muggle and he looked around with fascination and admiration that a race of people could be so technologically advanced without the use of magic.

The threesome walked across the main foyer towards the information desk. Tonks then approached the man behind the desk. "Excuse me, sir. We're here to visit a sick relative. Can you tell us where we may find him?"

"Name…" said the old man behind his desk.

"Harry Potter," said Arthur standing beside Tonks. Molly stood back slightly, still feeling out of sorts in this strange place.

"Ah, yes, here it is," said the man as he called up the information on a computer. "He is on the fifth floor, room 523. That's in the east wing. Just go down this hallway and take one of the lifts on your left."

"Thank you," said Tonks, smiling politely. They had to literally drag Arthur away, who looked keen on standing at the desk all afternoon studying the computer the Muggle had been using.

They walked down a wide hallway to where the lifts were located. Many people had passed by them, but none gave them a second look. Molly was greatly relieved that they were able to fit in among the Muggles. She felt ridiculous in what she was wearing, but Tonks insisted that what she had transfigured from their robes was the type of clothing that the Muggles wore. Molly had on a pair of khaki slacks, a beige blouse, and pair of uncomfortable shoes. Arthur was also wearing khaki slacks, but of a more masculine cut, and a blue checkered button down shirt and something called loafers on his feet.

Tonks however, was sporting some sort of black suit. She insisted that as their representative she had to dress appropriately. The skirt came down to her knees and coat was buttoned tightly around her waist, revealing a white blouse underneath. She had metamorphed her hair to be dark brown and was pulled back into a severe bun at the back of her head. Even her facial features had been altered to make her appear older. Tonks also carried a leather briefcase that contained an important document that they would need later. The only problem she seemed to have with her outfit was the high heeled shoes. She was endlessly clumsy to begin with, and she could barely walk in the spiky heels she was currently wearing. Arthur and Molly had to walk on either side of her just to ensure that she wouldn't fall flat on her face.

They reached the lifts and Arthur excitedly pushed the button for the fifth floor. It wasn't all that different from the elevators at the Ministry, though Molly supposed they probably operated differently.

When the doors opened, they stepped off the lift into a bright white hallway. The nurses' station was directly across from them, but they ignored it completely and began to search for Harry's room.

Tonks nearly fell on a few occasions as she tripped in her high heel shoes over the freshly polished tiled flooring. She quickly caught herself with the wall or by grabbing one of the Weasleys, but continued walking like nothing happened.

They finally saw his room number above one of the open doors, but before they could step inside a nurse confronted of them. Apparently she had seen them lingering around the floor and felt it necessary to question them.

"I'm sorry, but who are you here to see?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Harry Potter. He is in room 523, isn't he?" asked Arthur, growing more serious.

"Yes, but who are you?" she persisted.

"We are relatives of the boy and we have come to bring him home with us," said Molly.

"I'm sorry, but I can't allow that. We were told that the boy's only living relatives were the Dursleys. No one else is authorized to see him," she explained.

"What? You can't stop us! We're going to see that boy if it's the last thing I do!" said Molly growing agitated. She tried to step around the nurse and peek into the darkened room. There Harry was lying in the dark, machines glowing all around him. He appeared to be asleep right now because his eyes were closed. She breathed a sigh of relief to see him alive, but she knew this night was far from over.

"I'm sorry, but you can't go in there," said the nurse closing the door as she blocked Molly's view of Harry.

"I just got back from the office. What's going on?" asked another woman, who was striding down the hallway, her heels clicking on the tile all the way. She was dressed much like Tonks, but her suit was navy blue.

"These people say that they are relatives of Harry Potter…" the nurse explained.

The woman looked thoroughly confused. "But we were told-"

"Hello, my name is Stephanie Tonks…" began Tonks, ignoring the fact that the Weasleys were looking at her oddly. "And you are?"

"Margaret Mitchell, I'm Harry's social worker, but what's going on-" she tried again.

"I am Molly and Arthur Weasley's lawyer," she explained, pointing to the older couple. "They _are_ in fact related to Harry Potter, and they wish to take him home with them instead of seeing him sent to the Children's Home."

"I don't understand. I wasn't informed of any of this! We were told that the boy had no other living relatives," Margaret argued.

"Yes, well you have been lied to. I assume that it was the Dursleys told you this…" the social worker nodded. "Well that explains that," said Tonks.

"What do you mean?" asked Margaret.

"The Dursleys don't like us much," said Arthur truthfully. "We are distant cousins of Harry on his father's side." _Well, that part was a lie._ "We don't have many opportunities to spend time with him, and we would like to bring him home."

"How did you find out about the accident? I'm assuming the Dursleys didn't tell you…" the social worker inquired.

The threesome looked bewildered at first for an answer. Finally, Molly said, "A neighbor…yes, yes, a neighbor told us about what happened…"

"I see…" said Margaret, not sure whether or not she believed them. She glanced at the nurse who was still standing near them. The young nurse merely shrugged her shoulders as if to say, "_How else could they have known?"_

"How is he? Can we see him?" asked Molly. She wanted nothing more than to go into that hospital room and give the boy a proper hug. She had been disgusted to see that one of the Dursleys wasn't sitting with him when she peeked in. Surely his aunt or his cousin could sit with him while the other sat with his uncle. He had looked so alone lying in that hospital bed.

"He's doing alright. I've been informed by the previous shift nurse of his numerous injuries. Well from the accident…" The nurse glanced at the social worker and received a nod that she may continue. "We've placed a cast on his left ankle- it was broken in two places- and he had a mild concussion and a laceration to his forehead. One of the residents stitched him up though…. And let's see… oh yes, he has a couple of cracked ribs and he has been complaining that his lower back is giving him problems. There are some other injuries as well- like general bruising and an abrasion across his chest from where the seat belt cut into him. The wound looks more like a burn than anything else, but it should heal without any complications. Oh, we also were concerned about his heartbeat for a while there, but it seems it has finally leveled off. He may need additional testing to determine if there was any trauma to his heart in the accident."

"Oh my goodness," said Molly once the nurse finished with the list of Harry's injuries. "Is he in a lot of pain?"

The nurse nodded. "He was last night, but Dr. Rosenthal administered him a pain killer. He hasn't complained once today so he hasn't been given anything else. I imagine he still must be rather sore."

"Are you aware of the other circumstances?" asked Margaret all of a sudden.

"What other circumstances?" asked Arthur curiously.

The social worker sighed deeply. "I hate to be the one to tell you this, but we believe Harry has been abused."

"What!" The three adults asked at the same time. Arthur reached out an arm to steady his wife who looked somewhat faint. "By whom?" asked Arthur, knowing full well who had probably done it.

"His uncle presumably... When the doctors began to examine Harry in the trauma room they found severe bruising over most of his torso…"

"Couldn't that be from the accident?" asked Tonks in disbelief.

"No, the bruising was in various degrees of healing and too wide spread. He is malnourished as well and dreadfully thin. We also found welt marks on his back…. probably from being beaten by a belt…"

"Oh Merlin!" said Molly, her hand coming up to her mouth as her eyes filled with tears.

"Merlin?" asked the nurse, catching the odd phrase that had slipped from the red headed woman's mouth.

Arthur quickly covered up his wife's outburst by asking, "Are you sure about this?"

Molly began to sniffle as she attempted to regain her composure by wiping away her tears. The thought of what those awful people had done to him was much more than she could bear. Ron had been right to be so worried about his friend. She hated the fact that she had waited so long to pursue his worries.

The social worker sighed deeply, seeing how upset Molly was becoming. "Positive. I see cases like this all the time. And well… it seems as if the abuse has been going on a while now. Harry reached out to a teacher once when he was eight, but the courts weren't able to find any evidence of neglect when they investigated. I'm sure that was just a misunderstanding. We haven't received another report about him since then… and we probably still wouldn't if it hadn't been for the accident."

."What do you mean?" asked Arthur.

"Harry refuses to admit the truth to us. Maybe he would open up to you…" added Margaret.

"May we please take him home?" asked Molly, tearfully. "I promise that we can provide him with a loving home."

Margaret shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry; I can't allow that at this time. Harry will be taken to the Bradford's Children's Home in London until the trial. His uncle is being brought up on both drunk driving and child abuse charges. If Harry would cooperate, we may be able to bring his aunt up on charges of neglect as well. Then the courts would be able to give you folks custody. As it stands, however, Harry may end up returning to his Aunt Petunia's home. She is still his legal guardian, and since Harry won't acknowledge that she has done anything wrong, the courts don't have any proof to hold against her."

"Proof? How much more proof do you need? You just implied that they starved him!" Arthur shouted. "Doesn't that indicate that Petunia has done something wrong? And it's clear that she never prevented her husband from harming her own nephew."

"Well, we don't know that for certain," said Margaret sadly.

Tonks piped in again, her curiosity getting the best of her. "What do you mean?"

"We believe that Vernon may have been beating Petunia too. She has a black eye and sprained wrist among other minor injuries that could be associated with domestic abuse. She very well could have tried to prevent her husband from harming him, and been injured in the process. Or she could have been too afraid to do anything about it. We don't know for sure… and neither Harry nor Petunia will speak about it."

"So what is going to happen to Harry?" asked Tonks.

Margaret looked like she was getting irritated with all their questions. "As I said before, Harry will be going to the Bradford's Children's Home. I have a van picking him up in the morning. I know you want custody of him, but the courts won't permit a transfer of guardianship until a proper trial takes place. I'm afraid you may have to wait."

"How long?" asked Tonks.

"Maybe a few weeks. It's hard to tell."

"Weeks? What? You can't do that!" Molly shouted, looking at her husband desperately. "He won't be protected! Arthur, we need to-"

Tonks suddenly intervened by saying, "Maybe we should discuss this in private."

"Yes, I think that it is a good idea," said Margaret, eyeing the now near hysterical Molly.

A nurse led them to an abandoned room next to Harry's. As soon as the door closed, Arthur whipped out his wand. "_Obliviate!" _he shouted, pointing his wand at the two Muggles.

"Now listen carefully," he then said. "Harry Potter will never return to the Dursleys' residence again. Molly and Arthur Weasley are now Harry's legal guardians. The courts have already agreed that it would be in the boy's best interest. You even have a document stating so."

He nodded at Tonks, who retrieved from her briefcase a blank piece of paper. She then placed it in Margaret Mitchell's hands. The nurse and the social worker than looked down at the blank paper and words began to slowly appear on it. Soon it looked like an official legal document stating that the Weasley's were now Harry's legal guardians. It was complete with a stamp of approval and their signatures.

The two dopey looking women nodded in understanding, seeing that the document appeared to be in order. It was a useful tool that Dumbledore had created for this very purpose. It was spelled to turn into whatever legal document someone thought they were looking at. Anyone else who read it would always see the same thing, and assume it was a binding contract.

"We will be taking Harry home with us," said Arthur, speaking more quickly as he realized the spell was wearing off. "You will not argue about us taking him from this hospital when we are ready."

They nodded again and looked around the room in a confused manner. "Alright, then. Thanks for understanding. We're going to go visit Harry now…" said Tonks, opening the door to the hallway.

"Yes, no problem," said the nurse, still looking rather out of it. Margaret said nothing, but shook her head as if she was trying to clear some sort of fog. She then looked down at the document in her hand and then back Tonks who was still holding open the door.

"What happened just now?" she asked the younger woman.

"Don't you remember?" asked Tonks. "You just released Harry into the Weasley's custody. You signed the document yourself."

"Yeah, I suppose I did…" she said softly as she examined the legal document once again. Her own signature, clear as day, was on the bottom of the paper. She slowly walked out into the hallway closely followed by the nurse, trying to gain her bearings.

Arthur, Molly, and Tonks left the obliviated pair behind as they stepped inside Harry's private hospital room, closing the door behind them.

Harry was still sleeping peacefully in the darkened room. The only light on was the one directly over his bed and the eerily glow that it cast made poor Harry seem much more pale and unhealthy than normal.

They approached his bed cautiously. He looked so small and lost in the large bed, beneath the many coverings. If Molly didn't know any better she would have sworn that Harry was eleven years old again. She called up the image of when she first met him at King's Cross Station… a little lost boy looking for a way to get onto the platform… all alone… very much afraid and nervous to be entering a world he knew nothing about.

She had been so grateful when her youngest son had befriended him. Ron was very kind hearted and she knew that their friendship would be good for them. It didn't bother her in the least that he was the Boy-Who-Lived. She didn't hold any such crazy notions that he was unbalanced or dangerous for that matter. Ron had told her about each of their adventures and although she was angry for them getting themselves into so many messes, she was secretly proud of their bravery. Often they had no choice but to be pulled into one scrape after another. Life seemed to have a way of placing Harry in trouble.

It was sad to see him in the state that he was in. Even in sleep he looked uncomfortable. A large gauzy bandage covered the left side of his forehead. His left foot was propped on a few pillows and was surrounded by a hard white substance. Arthur explained that it was what Muggles call a cast. A potion of some kind was dripping through a tube into his arm, and wires were protruding from his chest and connected to a machine that ran on electricity. There was also a screen that displayed colorful numbers and squiggles, but Molly couldn't imagine what it was for. Arthur had looked at with much curiosity at first, but soon realized what they had come here to do.

A plate of food, apparently from dinner, was left untouched on a table beside him. And the boy's his broken glasses lay on the bedside table. Molly snatched them and repaired them with a quick spell, knowing he was virtually blind without them.

"How could this happen to such a sweet, sweet child? No one deserves that sort of treatment? Why didn't Harry ever say anything?" asked Molly, finally finding her voice after getting over the shock of seeing him.

Her husband, who had taken her hand, said "I don't know."

Tonks hung back by the door and leaned against the wall. She didn't seem to want to interrupt their little reunion.

Molly began to tear up once again as she studied Harry's sallow face. "Oh, Arthur it makes so much sense now… how quiet he was whenever he came to the Burrow… how he was always so thin… why didn't we see it before?"

"I just don't know dear…" he replied sadly. "Do you think Ron or Hermione know?"

"I don't think so. They wouldn't hide something like this from us…"

Molly carefully reached out and brushed aside his hair that covered his bandaged forehead, hoping that the gentle touch would rouse Harry from his sleep, but not alarm him. Two green eyes soon flickered open and the boy squinted trying to see who was in the room with him.

"It's alright," she said in a soft voice. "We're here…"

When Molly reached out to put his glasses on his face, Harry became alarmed and reached for his wand instinctively. He held it in front of him, unsure of who to point it that.

"Good lad…" said Arthur, proud to see that even in this state Harry was cautious about his surroundings. "You're quick with your wand. Now let Molly put your glasses on…"

Harry seemed to recognize the voice and lowered his wand. Molly placed his newly repaired glasses on his face and everything came into focus.

"Mrs. Weasley? Mr. Weasley?" Harry asked. He blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes beneath his glasses with the tips of his fingers. "Am I dreaming?"

Molly smiled reassuringly. "No, you're not dreaming. Ron received your letter. We came as soon as we could."

"Ron?" asked Harry hopefully, looking around the darkened room for his best friend.

"Sorry, Harry. I wouldn't let him come. He really wanted to though, and I think he might be angry with his mother and me for a while now. He's waiting for you in the infirmary at Hogwarts," replied Arthur.

"Oh," said Harry, somewhat disappointed. Although he didn't want Ron to know about his life with the Dursleys, he couldn't wait to see his friend again. He had been secretly hoping that Ron would come and rescue him since he had sent that letter. He looked across the room and saw a woman he didn't recognize.

"Wotcher, Harry. I'm Tonks," said the witch, stumbling across the room as she held out her hand. It was obvious that she had stubbed her toe on the hospital bed in the process, but she simply grimaced against the pain and pretended nothing happened. "Pleased to meet you," she continued.

"Er… hi…" said Harry, shaking her hand politely. He was a little wary of this well dressed woman who seemed to be an utter klutz. Her attire and her personality seemed to be at odds with one another. Seeing that Harry wasn't going to say anything more, the woman resumed her place back against the wall, taking off her shoe to rub her toe.

Harry turned his attention back to his best friend's parents. "So what's going to happen to me?" he asked hopefully.

"Well, it took some convincing, but your social worker and the nurse think that we are distant cousins. We used a memory charm and a special type of parchment in order to gain custody of you," explained Arthur.

"What does that mean exactly?" Harry was feeling confused about the whole situation, and he didn't want to jump to any conclusions.

"Well, once we get you patched up by Madame Pomfrey, you're coming home with us. I hope you don't mind, but we're your new guardians," said Molly, reaching out to stroke Harry's head again. She noticed that he seemed wary of her touch.

"Really?" asked Harry. He looked up at the Weasleys, his eyes glassy with emotion.

"Yes, really. Is that okay?" Molly asked worriedly. She didn't know Harry well enough to gauge what he was feeling about everything.

"That's great! Thank you so much. You don't know what this means to me. I can't wait to get out of here," he said, excitement filling his voice for the first time in a long time.

"We'll be leaving here shortly, but there is something we need to discuss first," said Arthur.

Molly cut in quickly, "Maybe _now_ isn't the time for that," she stressed to her husband. Harry looked at both of them in alarm.

"Would you rather wait until we got back to the Burrow to talk about it?" he asked, knowing that this would be only the time they could speak with the boy without his meddling children getting in the way.

"I suppose not…" Molly replied. She looked over at Tonks and the young woman understood that they wanted to be alone with Harry for a while. She nodded and excused herself to the hallway.

Molly pulled up a chair besides Harry's bed and took the seat. She then sighed deeply, and prepared herself for what she knew she would have to do next. "Harry, we've spoken to the hospital about your injuries…"

"Oh?" he replied simply. He shifted slightly in bed, trying to relieve the pressure on his back. He winced as the pain in his ribs began flare up again.

"Sorry, Harry. We can't do anything to numb the pain until Madam Pomfrey sees you," Arthur explained.

"Okay," he replied.

Molly hated seeing him in so much pain, but they had no choice at the moment. She decided to continue her line of questioning. "We know that you have injuries that couldn't have come from the accident… Harry, why didn't you tell us your uncle was hurting you?" Molly asked, her voice constricting with emotion.

"I d-don't know what you're t-talking about," Harry replied, staring down at his hands that were resting in his lap.

Molly was surprised to hear the boy stutter, and wondered if it was because he was so frightened. "It's okay, honey. You can tell us about the Dursleys. We would never think any less of you…" Molly tried to explain.

"I fell d-down the stairs… that's all…" he said with a shrug, not daring to meet their eyes.

"Harry, we know that's not true…" Arthur tried. "You didn't deserve what happened to you… please don't lie about it to us… we care about you…"

"I'm not lying. Nothing happened…" Harry tried again.

"Harry…" Arthur warned. "We know the truth. It's okay… Your social worker said that this kind of thing has been going on for a long while now... "

Harry's chin began to tremble, and Molly knew he was trying to suppress the tears that were gathering in the corner of his eyes. "It n-never used to be this bad…" Harry finally admitted, not really wanting to lie to the people who had come to rescue him.

"Can you talk about it?" asked Arthur, wanting to know for certain how bad it had been for his son's friend.

"P-please… I don't want to…" Harry begged, still not able to look at their faces.

Molly knew he must be feeling so ashamed and her heart went out to him. "It's okay, Harry. You don't have to right now. But why didn't you tell anyone?"

Harry seemed to contemplate this question for a while. He finally replied to her question, his voice quavering slightly. "I was s-scared. I tried once before to get help, but it didn't work. I only got myself into more trouble. I didn't w-want to go to the Children's Home. And the only p-protection I have against Voldemort is in my aunt's house. I d-didn't know what to do…"

Finally overcome with emotion and pain Harry broke down in tears. Embarrassed by his display of weakness in front of his friend's parents, he covered his face with his hands. Molly, no longer able to hold back her motherly instincts, sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped her arms around him. It was somewhat difficult with the IV and all the wires sticking out of him, but she didn't care. It wasn't so long ago that she held the boy like this after the third task of the Triwizard Tournament. She noticed at first that Harry seemed to stiffen in her arms, but began to relax when he realized she meant him no harm. She held onto his shaking form as he began to sob pitifully. Harry had probably never been embraced like this very often, and she was glad that she was able to offer him a small bit of comfort. She knew that he wasn't crying only for what had happened in the last two days, but for all the injustices in his life. She held him for nearly fifteen minutes as he cried his little heart out.

"There, there… it's alright Harry… we're not going to let anyone take you back to that horrible house… we'll keep you safe…we love you like one of our own children… shhhh…." she whispered into his ear as she held him.

She squeezed him a little more tightly and heard a small whimper escape Harry's lips. She gently placed him back on the bed and said, "Oh, I'm so sorry. I had forgotten how tender your ribs must be."

"It's okay," said Harry, wincing against the pain. He then began to wipe his tears away furiously. "Sorry about that. I don't know what came over me."

"Don't be sorry. You have a right to feel awful. I just hope we can make things better," she said with a smile.

They were suddenly interrupted by Dr. Rosenthal, who had entered the room. Tonks and Margaret Mitchell entered as well. The nurse that they obliviated earlier came in also, pushing a wheel chair into the room. Harry wiped away the rest of his tears and tried to compose himself as all these people entered.

"I had just started my shift when I was informed that Harry is to be released from the hospital," he explained. "I'm Dr. Rosenthal."

"Molly and Arthur Weasley," said Arthur, taking the man's hand. "We would like to be leaving now if that is okay,"

"I must admit, I'm surprised by this turn of events and a little concerned," said the doctor.

"Why is that?" asked Arthur.

"Well, because a transfer of guardianship never happens this quickly. It's highly unusual," he explained.

"But you've seen the documentation haven't you?" asked Molly, hoping that their plan would continue without any hiccups. She looked over at the social worker who nodded at them.

"Yes, and I can't protest it, so you may leave if you so wish. I have no reason to hold Harry here any longer. I must stress, however, that his injuries are still fairly serious and that he needs to see his general practitioner as soon as possible to follow up. I will be stating in my report that I feel Harry will need an EKG to determine if there is any trauma to his heart… I assure you that he his probably fine, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious," the doctor explained.

"Oh, okay…" said Molly, making a mental note to explain all of that to Madam Pomfrey when they arrived at Hogwarts.

"There is only the matter of signing the hospital release papers and leaving an address and phone number where you can be contacted with Ms. Mitchell," said Dr. Rosenthal. He extended a clip board with some paperwork on it and directed Arthur to sign his name in various places so that Harry could be released.

Margaret looked to Molly and said, "And your address please?"

"Why do you need an address?" she asked uncertainly. They had never obtained a proper postal address at the Burrow since they received all their mail by owl. She had not idea what she was going to tell the woman.

"So that Social Services can contact you about the trial," Margaret explained. "Just because you have somehow gained custody of Harry, doesn't mean we are going to just ignore the crime his uncle has committed. We need to stay in contact in order to inform you of the trial dates so that Harry could appear in court."

Molly cast a glance over her shoulder at Harry and saw that the boy had a worried look on his face. He was wringing his hands together anxiously.

"I'll take care of that for you Mrs. Weasley. After all, that is why I'm here with you, to take care of all this legal mumbo jumbo," said Tonks, grabbing the paper and jotting down an address and phone number. Molly was about to protest, but realized that she didn't possibly know what to say.

"Well that takes care of that," said Arthur, once Tonks was finished. "May we be on our way?"

The doctor nodded. "Yes, of course. Let me just take a look at Harry again."

The doctor looked him over once more, and then proceeded to disconnect Harry from everything. A band aid was placed over the puncture wounds where the IV and blood draw had been. When he was done he said, "The nurse has brought you a wheel chair. Do you have any questions?"

"What about the boy's clothes?" asked Molly.

"They were destroyed when he was brought in. Trust me, he wouldn't want to put them back on anyway," said Dr. Rosenthal. "He may wear the hospital gown home seeing that you haven't thought of bringing him anything else."

Harry looked embarrassed once again, and Molly grabbed his hand affectionately. "We'll be fine, thank you," she said, dismissing the three Muggles.

They got Harry settled into the wheelchair, making sure he had concealed his wand, and then wheeled him out into the hallway. They took the same path as they did before, taking the elevators down to the first floor and exiting the main entrance. All the while Harry was extremely quiet.

"Alright there, Harry?" asked Arthur.

Harry smiled as he was reminded of the man's son. Now he knew where Ron got it from. "I'm okay now," he said softly.

"What address and phone number did you give them?" Arthur asked Tonks as they wheeled him outside.

"My flat in London. I only stay there when I need some down time. I have an answering machine on my phone so that people can leave messages when I'm not home. I check it fairly often for messages If Social Services call I can let you know," Tonks explained. Arthur and Molly nodded but looked as if they truly didn't understand.

"Oh, okay. Thanks," said Arthur appreciatively. He then noticed the ministry car pull up to the curb. "Here we go, Harry."

Arthur opened the door, picked up Harry once again, and placed him inside. It was clear by the look on Harry's face how much pain he was in. "Don't worry son, we'll get you to Hogwarts as soon as possible."

Once he returned the wheel chair to the hospital, Arthur climbed into the front seat beside the driver, who was a bald black man. Molly and Tonks climbed into the passenger seat from the opposite side. Molly then slipped her arm across Harry's shoulders and brought him closer to her still feeling rather protective.

"Were there any problems?" Arthur asked the black man.

"Not one. We patrolled the outside of the entire hospital, but we didn't come across anyone that we could suspect of being a Death Eater," the man explained.

Arthur turned around and smiled at Harry as the car began to accelerate. "Harry, this is Kinglsey Shacklebolt. He is a member of the Order and has offered to help us out today… along with a few others," he said with a wink.

"Hello, Harry," said the man, not taking his eyes off the road.

"Hi," said Harry shyly. "What's the Order?"

"The Order is… well, Harry, a lot has happened this summer that you don't know about. I'm sure Ron would love to tell you all about it. Why don't we let him tell you?" suggested Molly.

"Okay," he replied, looking like was excited to see his friend once again.

Tonks chose that moment to change her appearance back to normal, well normal for her anyway. Molly smiled at the surprised look on Harry's face when he saw the wild pink hair and young face that replaced the image of the older woman.

"I guess I should introduce myself properly now…" the young witch said. "Hi, I'm Tonks."

"Hi… er I knew your name before… but how did you change your hair and face like that. Was it a glamour charm?" asked Harry, smiling at her new appearance.

"No, I'm a metamorphagus. I can change my appearance at will," Tonks explained. She squinted her eyes in concentration as she shifted her nose into a few shapes before allowing it to go back to normal.

"Wow! Can I learn to do that too?" asked Harry.

"Sorry, you have to be born with the ability."

"Oh," replied Harry, sounding disappointed.

"Why did you call yourself Stephanie?" asked Arthur, turning around in his seat again.

"Don't you like it? I hate my real name, as you all know, so I thought it would be fun to make up a new one."

"What's your real name?" asked Harry curiously.

"Nymphadora," Molly replied, ignoring the daggers Tonks eyes were sending her. Wanting to place self back into the young witch's good graces she said, "By the way, you were amazing Tonks. I didn't know you could be so… er… professional…"

"Thanks, I always wanted to be an actress," said Tonks, smiling broadly.

A short while later they arrived near a wooded area, they parked the car on the side of the road and quickly explained the situation. Harry was still sitting in the car, while the adults stood outside the open door looking at him carefully as they tried to explain what would take place next.

"Flooing from the Leakey Cauldron would probably be a lot easier, but we didn't think you would want all the attention you'd find in a crowded pub. We're going to use a portkey instead. We will transport to a location just outside Hogwarts and carry you the rest of the way. Members of the Order are apparating to that location now to give us cover in case of an attack. That shouldn't be a problem, however. We don't think that the Death Eaters know that you are no longer in your relatives' house. We will go and get your things once we know you're safe," said Mr. Weasley.

Harry paled visibly at the mention of a portkey. The last time he used a portkey he had been transported to a graveyard where Cedric died and was forced to duel with Voldemort. Molly noticed his uneasiness about the situation, and thought of something that might make him feel better. "You'll be okay Harry. I will be with you the whole way. If you like we can stun you temporarily so that it wouldn't aggravate your injuries. I'm sure it would be far less painful."

"Alright," he replied. He looked like something was still bothering him.

"What is it Harry?" asked Molly.

"You said Ron is waiting for me at Hogwarts. Does he know about….you know… the Dursleys?" he asked.

"No, he doesn't know," Arthur replied.

"I don't want him to know…" he said softly.

"Why not Harry? Ron wouldn't think of you any differently. He would want to know about something like this. He cares a great deal about you," Molly tried to explain.

"Please…" he begged. "I don't want him to know…"

"Alright. We won't tell him, but I think you should when you feel comfortable. Are you ready?" she asked. Harry nodded. "_Stupefy!" _she said as she pointed her wand at the broken boy.

Molly gently lifted his now unconscious form out of the car, realizing once again, just how thin he really was. She held onto him tightly as they safely portkeyed to their next location. She would never forgive herself for not checking on the poor boy sooner, but she was going to make sure that he was happy while he stayed with them at the Burrow. She had no doubt that her children would help her achieve her goal. For some reason she knew that Ron, especially, was going to be good for him. After observing her son for most of the summer, a few things were starting to become clear to her. After all, she sometimes knew her son better than he knew himself. She just had to wait and see if what she suspected was actually true. Ginny was going to be devastated.

* * *

A/N: I'm really afraid that you might all start throwing rotten tomatoes at me. "Why didn't Ron go with them to rescue Harry?" you might ask. Well, put yourself in the position of a parent and you may understand my reasoning. Your son's friend is hurt and needs help, but if you bring your own son along with you he might get hurt as well. You have no way of knowing if there are evil-doers lurking about and your parental instincts are kicking in. Does that explain it? I hope so. Remember, I'm trying to go for realism here. No worries… Ron appears in the next chapter and will be more prominent for the rest of the story. I really hoped that you like this chapter anyway. It was fun writing from Molly's POV. 

A/N2: Funny note… when I wrote that they obliviated the nurse and social worker I was oddly reminded of various scenes from the movie _Men In Black_. I wish I had my own flashy memory thingy or even a wand. Wouldn't that be fun! LOL.

**Many thanks to all my readers and reviewers!**


	7. Harry's Wheezy

A/N: My amazingly wonderful beta, _Drae_, beta'd this chapter when she returned from her vacation. This is now the corrected version.

**Chapter 7- Harry's Wheezy**

The last rays of golden sunlight streamed through the large windows as evening slowly came to pass. Usually this twilight time of day was something Ron looked forward to. The soft glow of the earth as the stars began to rise and the sun began to set always felt so magical. His grandmother, who often came to stay at the Burrow, used to tell him that it was "fairy time." But today the fading rays of light only left behind an eerie sensation. The light promised a sense of hope yet the shadows where the light could not touch foretold of a darkness as well.

Something was not right.

Ron was filled with a sense of dread and uncertainty as he waited in the confines of the hospital ward at Hogwarts. It felt as though the walls were caving in on him, which was odd considering the fact that he was in such an enormous room. A tightness had settled in around his chest and he wondered if he might forget to breathe. He was so worried about his friend that he couldn't even think straight.

Time seemed to have passed slowly, and it felt like he had been waiting for his parents to return with Harry forever now. In actuality it had only been a few hours since he flooed here from the Order's headquarters.

At first he had tried to wait for them patiently, hanging out on Harry's favorite bed. Memories of all the times he had visited his small friend while he stayed in the infirmary consumed him until he was lost in the wonder of all that had happened to him over the years. He tried to analyze why he cared so deeply for his friend, as he often did this summer, but he was always left with a sense of confusion over the matter. It felt like he would never sort his feelings out.

At one point, Ron had even buried his nose in the soft pillow on the bed hoping that he might smell Harry's scent still lingering, but the house elves had long since replaced the sheets after his last stay in the infirmary. He lay back on the bed and stared up at the vaulted stone ceiling thinking about all the things that he might say to him when he saw Harry again.

Part of him wished that his other best friend, Hermione, was here waiting with him for Harry to return. She always had a way of comforting him when he was distressed and he missed her company. However, another part of him was glad that she wasn't here. There were things going on in his heart that he didn't quite understand and if she were here he didn't think he would ever be able to figure it all out.

Feeling too anxious to sit still any longer, Ron soon found himself walking back and forth across the infirmary restlessly. So long and purposely he walked that he was surprised that he hadn't worn a path in the stone floor from all the friction he must have produced. He had even earned himself a few scathing remarks from the school nurse regarding the fact that he was "pacing about like a caged beast," but he didn't care. He was more worried about Harry than ever before. He was grateful when she finally left him alone and retreated into her office.

Wild ideas filled his head about all the possible things that may have gone wrong during the rescue mission. He tried to think about other things but his thoughts always came back to Harry. What if Death Eaters had gotten to him before his parents could rescue him? What if Voldemort was torturing him right now? There was no way Harry could survive another encounter with him, especially if he was already hurt. Ron wouldn't be able to rest easy until he saw his friend again alive and well.

The enchanted candles that lined the walls slowly flickered to life, illuminating the room as darkness settled upon the castle. The formidable shadows only increased his uneasiness.

"Where are they?" he said aloud to no one.

He kicked one of the hospital bed legs in frustration, but he only earned himself a stubbed toe. Pain shot through his toe and up his foot like it was on fire. He hopped about cursing his stupidity and gripping his toe with his hands through his shoes, willing away the awful pins and needles sensation. Feeling somewhat better, he limped painfully over to a nearby bed and sat down thoughtfully once again.

Ron had already given a lot of consideration to the letter Harry had sent back to him. He had said that he was injured but fine. That couldn't be good. For some reason his best mate always tried to deny that he ever needed help. Ron could only think that his inability to reach out to others had something to do with how the Dursleys treated him. So the fact that Harry had admitted that he was in trouble at all scared Ron. He knew that he must have been desperate in order for him to write for help.

Just when he had given up all hope that Harry would return safely, the doors to the hospital banged open. In stepped his father, who was levitating Harry's limp form behind him. Ron watched as his father guided him towards a nearby hospital bed and gently lowered his frail body onto it.

Ron felt his heart swell with happiness at the sight of his friend once again and he jumped up quickly from where he was sitting. But that wonderful sensation slowly turned to that of worry and it felt like someone was clutching his heart in their hands- squeezing the life out of it.

His best mate appeared to be completely unresponsive. For all he knew Harry could be dead for as still as he was. Not knowing what he was seeing he took a few hesitant steps forward in order to assess the situation, ignoring the dull pain that still lingered in his toe. Ron didn't know if he should be relieved or terrified yet. He felt himself gasping for breath and stopped in his tracks uncertain of what he should do- fear still gripping his heart.

He then caught sight of his mother, who had entered the infirmary soon after his father. She was closely followed by Tonks and several other Order members, who must have been called in for security. They looked like they were going to follow them straight to Harry's bed. His father stepped in between them and Harry and held up his hand to stop them.

"Thank you for your help today. If you would please wait outside for the headmaster I would greatly appreciate it," his father said firmly before they could say anything. A few of them looked disappointed that they weren't needed any longer to look over the Boy-Who-Lived, but they willingly obliged. His mother closed the doors behind them, shutting out the others and giving Harry a bit of privacy.

"I don't see why I couldn't have just carried him up here Arthur. He hardly weighs a thing and he needs to know that he is loved and cared for. You saw how he was," his mother insisted as she joined her husband by Harry's bedside.

"Molly, I told you before… Harry probably wouldn't want to be seen being carried by his best friend's mum. He's fine. He doesn't even know what's happening right now," he said.

"But still…" Molly replied. She sighed deeply and went to fetch the Madam Pomfrey, who had retreated to her office earlier while she was waiting for Harry.

Ron had been near the opposite end of the hospital wing when they entered. Hearing his mother and father's conversation he came to the conclusion that Harry wasn't dead after all. Filled with relief to see his best mate alive again, he was finally able to move from his emotionally frozen state. He ran down the long corridor of beds to greet them.

"Harry!" he called, as he ran up to the bed where he had been placed.

"Oh, there you are Ron. I didn't even see you when we came in!" his father exclaimed.

Ignoring his father's greeting he looked down at Harry's face and happily called his name again. "Harry… It's me Ron. Wake up mate!"

When he approached the bed more closely he was filled with worry all over again. Harry looked awful to say the least. Panic filled him and he began to wonder if Harry was going to be alright. "What's wrong with him? Why isn't he awake?" Ron asked, looking at his father desperately.

"It's alright Ron. We just stunned Harry so that we didn't complicate his injuries any further or cause him any pain while we portkeyed here," his father reassured him, placing his hand on his son's shoulder.

"You used a portkey?" Ron ask, his voice catching in his throat.

The last time Harry has used a portkey he had been somehow transported to You-Know-Who. Ron wasn't sure what had taken place while Harry was away, but he knew that it had changed him. How could it not when Cedric Diggory had been killed right in front of him? Harry couldn't possibly use a portkey again and not think about Cedric's death. Especially since he had to bring his dead body back using the very Triwizard cup that had brought him to You-Know-Who in the first place.

"I know, Ron, but there really wasn't any other way," he replied knowingly. Ron nodded gravely and continued to take in his friend's appearance.

Harry was a lot thinner than Ron last remembered him and he was already skinny to begin with. His face was extremely pale and his hair even more unkempt than usual. He seemed to be wearing a long Muggle nightshirt of some kind that came about knee length and tied in the back. A thick gauzy bandage was on his forehead and a hard white substance was covering his left foot, but Ron had no idea why. Puncture wounds surrounded by dark bruises dotted a couple of places on his arms. There was also a suspicious looking bruise on his left arm, and he wondered if it had happened during the accident or from something else. The bruise looked disturbingly like fingers, like someone had grabbed his arm forcefully, but the outline was too irregular to be certain. Just from the sight of him Ron know that Harry probably other injuries from the accident that were hidden beneath the ghastly hospital gown he was wearing.

For some reason Ron suddenly realized that the bed he was lying in wasn't Harry's favorite one. It bothered him greatly and he wished that he could offer his friend a minimal amount of comfort after all that he had been through. After having stayed many a night in the hospital ward Harry claimed that he had tried almost every bed and the second from the left of the hall entrance was by far the best. Ron wanted to tell his father that he had put Harry on the wrong bed, that his "favorite" bed was on the other side of the large room, but he figured it didn't really matter. All that was important right now was making sure that Harry was okay.

Ron was broken from his thoughts when his mother returned to Harry's bed side with the school nurse in tow.

"Thank you for sending your son ahead of you. If he hadn't told me that Mr. Potter would be arriving soon I would have been completely unprepared. I don't keep the hospital wing stocked with potions during the summer and I'm unfortunately out of many that Harry may need. I have our Potions Master working on replacing my supply as we speak," said Madam Pomfrey.

After hearing that Ron felt relieved that he was at least able to contribute something to Harry's rescue and consequent healing, even if it was in only a small way. He was still upset with his parents that he wasn't allowed to accompany them to the Muggle hospital where Harry was being kept.

Using a flick of her wand and a small incantation, Madam Pomfrey began to check over Harry's vitals. "Hmm… I'm going to need him awake in order to heal him properly. _Eneverate!"_

Ron watched as his best friend awoke with a startle. For a moment Harry's eyes were unfocused behind the frames he wore, but he soon recognized his surroundings and sighed in relief. He shifted his position carefully in the bed and winced at the pain.

"Harry, I've been so worried about you. Are you okay?" Ron asked quickly. He wanted to be the first to speak to him when he woke up.

Harry smiled at him and replied, "I'm fine, Ron. Just a bit banged up from the accident that's all."

Ron wanted to say that he always said that, but he bit his tongue instead. It was clear that Harry was indeed not fine, but he knew that it was useless to say so. Harry would deny it like he always did. Before he could stop himself, Ron blurted out, "You look awful!"

"Gee, thanks mate. Like I didn't know that already," Harry said sarcastically.

Ron was mentally kicking himself for saying something so rude. He seemed to have a lack of control over what came out of his mouth at the oddest times. Feeling awful now, he tried to make amends. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. It's just…you… I don't know... I-I…" He was starting to sound like a blubbering idiot and he couldn't figure out why he was suddenly having such difficulty talking to Harry.

"It's alright. It probably all looks a lot worse that it really is," Harry replied.

Ron nodded in agreement, still feeling rather unsure of himself. He just hoped that what Harry said was true.

"Thanks for the owl by the way," said Harry softly. "I don't know what would have happened to me if I hadn't heard from you."

Ron was a little surprised by his admission and wanted to press him on the matter further, especially after he saw the looks his parents gave Harry. But he decided to keep things simple- at least for now. "No problem. I've been bugging my mum and the headmaster all summer about writing to you. I was really surprised that he even authorized the one I sent you."

"I hate to interrupt this happy little reunion, but Mr. Potter needs to have his injuries healed. The sooner the better or I won't be able to do anything at all," said the nurse, her arms crossed over her chest.

Ron knew from experience that the woman was quite stubborn and it was impossible to argue with her. He stepped back from Harry with a sigh and sat down on the bed beside him. If he couldn't do anything else, at least he could be there with Harry while he was healed.

Harry eyes darted towards his parents and Ron saw that he was fearful for some reason. His mother and father looked at one another and nodded in some silent understanding that Ron couldn't comprehend.

"Hey Ron. Why don't you keep me company out in the hallway while Madam Pomfrey heals Harry?" asked his father, grabbing him gently by the elbow and standing him up.

He felt himself led away from Harry and grew angry. "What? Why? He just got here and I want to stay."

"I'm sorry but you can't," his father replied. Ron was nearly as tall as his father now and standing at eye level he could see that there was sadness in his eyes that he hadn't seen before.

"Does Mum get to stay with him?" Ron asked miserably. He could hear Harry coughing slightly from his hospital bed and wondered if he was ill as well.

"Yes."

"Can't I keep him company too?" he pleaded. He looked desperately over at his injured friend hoping that he would help convince his parents, but Harry was strangely avoiding eye contact with him. Didn't he want him here?

"I'm afraid not. Now let's go and leave him be," replied his father.

That was the second time today that his parents told him what to do concerning his best mate. Ron could feel his face turning red with anger. He tried to catch Harry's eye again as he was led out of the infirmary, and finally green eyes met blue.

"It's okay Ron. I'll see you soon. You know how the nurse gets when there are too many people around bothering her patients," said Harry. Ron noticed the falseness in his voice and wondered what could be going on. He felt like they were keeping some sort of secret from him.

"The nurse is right here and can hear you…" Madam Pomfrey replied irritably, her hands now on her hips in an authoritative manner.

"Fine, but I want to come back and visit Harry as soon as he is healed," Ron said haughtily.

"That would be acceptable," the nurse replied and Harry nodded eagerly, suppressing another cough.

Ron pushed past his father and stepped out into the coolness of the hallway. There he found the headmaster speaking with Tonks quietly a little farther down the passageway. Apparently the other Order members had long since left the castle. The pair became silent once they saw Ron and his father emerge from the infirmary. Ron couldn't help but notice the sadness in the pink haired witch's eyes and wondered what all the fuss could be about. Even Dumbledore, whose eyes usually held a sort of twinkle, were now flat with emotion. Harry was only in a car accident. Surely there couldn't be something else wrong with him that they weren't telling him.

"How is he?" asked Professor Dumbledore, approaching his father.

"As good as can be expected I guess," replied his father. "I'm assuming you would like to speak with him about what happened?" They shared a nod and Ron continued to wonder if there was something more that the adults weren't telling him.

He found a nearby bench and prepared to wait yet again to see his friend. He leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together. He stared at the flooring intently trying to analyze everyone's behavior.

"Wotcher, Ron," said Tonks with fake cheerfulness in her voice, as she sat down beside him.

"Hey," he replied, not bothering to look at her. He didn't know the weird pink haired witch very well and he didn't exactly feel like getting into a conversation with her right now. They had only just met a couple of weeks earlier when his mother had invited the Order member to the Burrow for dinner after a particularly hard day.

"He's going to be alright, you know," she said in an attempt to comfort him.

"Yeah. I suppose you're right," he said, but he wasn't sure if he believed his own words.

Something inside him told him that something wasn't right and he was going to stop at nothing to find out what was wrong. He cared too deeply for his friend to let the matter drop completely. His only hope was that Harry wouldn't push him away. He couldn't bear it if he did.

* * *

What began as a simple little cough turned into a complete coughing fit once again, and Harry felt himself out of breath over the deal. Why did colds have to linger for so damn long? Madam Pomfrey quickly administered him a potion that would get rid of the cough and he felt immense relief. Apparently it was one of the few potions she still had left over from the school year. 

With that little matter out of the way the nurse revealed that it would be necessary that she conducted a full examination from head to toe due to the nature of the accident and other external circumstances. Harry suspected that Mrs. Weasley had filled her in on what the Dursleys had done to him when she went to fetch the nurse in her office.

After a full ten minutes of trying to convince the nurse that she didn't need to do a full examination on him, Harry finally gave in. It was no use arguing, really. Especially since Madam Pomfrey had probably already assessed the damage to his body magically during one of her vital scans. And Mrs. Weasley was certainly not going to let Harry lie about the situation now that she knew the truth. It was probably why she thought she had to stay with him during the exam. He just hoped he wouldn't have to talk about his "other" injuries if at all possible. He was ashamed to say the very least.

Harry had been extremely grateful when the Weasleys had suggested that Ron should wait outside. It was bad enough that Mrs. Weasley had stayed with him during the examination. It would have been down right embarrassing if Ron saw what had been done to him as well. Ron's opinion of him for some reason mattered greatly. He couldn't bear it if his best friend thought he was weak and pathetic, like something to be pitied.

"It's alright. I don't need you to stay," Harry tried once more to say to Mrs. Weasley, but he was soon cut short.

"Nonsense... If we are going to be you guardians, then we need to know your medical history. Don't be embarrassed dear…" she replied softly, patting his hand with her own.

Harry wanted to object, but he knew that it would be pointless. He knew from experience that Ron got his stubbornness from his mother. When either of them set their mind to something, nothing could persuade them otherwise. He was just so used to shielding everyone away from his problems that it was almost instinctive to give them an opportunity to walk away.

He had never had anyone sit with him before when he was being examined, at least not that he could remember. A small part of him deep inside was grateful for Mrs. Weasley's motherly ways though he would never admit it. The small amount of comfort that she provided Harry meant the world to him. He wondered how their relationship may change if he really was able to go live with them like he hoped. Would she fill the shoes his mother left behind so long ago?

Madam Pomfrey used a couple of severing charms to remove the stitches on his forehead and the cast on his ankle. Another charm had healed the cut on his head and the lacerations on his torso from where he had been cut by the seatbelt.

"How do I look?" Harry asked fearfully, interrupting his examination. Ever since he saw the ugly black line of stitches on his forehead in the trauma room he had been worried about an additional scar on his forehead.

The nurse cocked her head to the side trying to get his meaning. Molly helped her out by saying, "I think he's concerned about his forehead."

"Oh… well thankfully your head injury was still pretty fresh so I was able to heal it without any scarring," said the nurse.

Harry sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. I was really worried about that for some reason. I was afraid I was starting to look like Frankenstein…" Neither of the witches understood his joke.

Unfortunately, he knew what was coming next. He hated having to remove the hospital gown so that she could see the damage to his back, but he had no other choice at the moment. At least she had offered him a pair of standard hospital pajama bottoms so that he wouldn't feel so embarrassed. It had been difficult wriggling into them while he lay on his back, especially since his ankle and his ribs were still burning in pain. At least the two women had the sense to turn around to give him a bit of privacy.

He then sat forward painfully, with Mrs. Weasley supporting him, while the nurse gently poked and prodded his back.

She was quiet for a long while, but finally seemed to find her voice. "Hmm… These welts are over a week old… they have already begun to heal so there isn't much I can do about them. I do have a potion that will prevent infection and reduce the scarring, but they will have to continue to heal on their own. May I ask how this happened?"

From the look in her eyes Harry knew that she had probably already knew the cause, but he didn't want to discuss it. "I don't want to talk about it," he said firmly.

The nurse was about to question him further when she saw Molly shaking her head at her. "You may lie back down Mr. Potter," she said. He lay back carefully, wincing at the pain in his back and in his ribs.

"The broken bones can be mended using a spell, but I would prefer waiting until I can administer a potion that will be much more effective. The potion will take care of most of the bruising and any residual aches you may be feeling in your muscles from the accident. It should also diminish any swelling that you had from your concussion. Does your head still hurt?"

"No," he admitted truthfully. He had had a headache during most of his stay at St. Andrews and he was grateful that it had finally gone away.

"What about his heart?" asked Molly. "The doctors were concerned about it at the hospital." Harry had almost forgotten about that. After the CAT scan and all the blood tests the doctors still couldn't find anything wrong with him to explain the nature of his racing heart beat.

"I've already taken his vitals. He's absolutely fine. Those Muggles over react to everything! I'm sure it was just the adrenaline coursing through his veins after the accident that got his heart working over time," she replied. "I know you're in pain Harry, but we need to wait just a while longer for those potions I'm expecting."

Overall the examination hadn't gone that badly, and he was grateful that Mrs. Weasley had managed to curb the nurse's questions about the abuse he had suffered.

Suddenly a door slammed open in Madam Pomfrey's office and a voice called, "Poppy? Where is that ungrateful witch! The nerve of her bothering me on my holiday…"

"Excuse me for a moment," the nurse said the nurse to Molly and Harry, looking rather irritated. She bustled away hurriedly to her office to see what was the matter.

Harry craned his neck to see who the voice belonged to, but he already had a sneaking suspicion of who it was. A dark figure came into view as the nurse greeted him and Harry could clearly see that it was his most hated professor.

"I don't understand why you are pestering me to restock your supply so early. You usually wait to hound me until the end of August," said a grumpy looking Potions Master, whose arms were laden with several vials and jars of potions.

"I have a patient who may need some of these," she replied firmly. She looked at him sternly and began to unload him of the potions, carefully placing them on the shelves in her supply closet.

"Who?" Snape asked peering through the open door into the infirmary. "Is that Potter? What is he doing here? Probably got himself in sort of mess again…"

"Don't you even start! I will not have you making such snide comments about that boy especially after what his relatives did to him," said Madam Pomfrey, who then closed the door and effectively blocked Harry's view of the two adults in her office.

Harry was horrified that she had revealed something so personal to a man that literally hated him with a passion. He could feel anger welling up inside of him. Snape was so much like his uncle sometimes it was scary. The way that they both seemed to live to belittle him was infuriating. Only they had much different reasons for their cutting remarks. Uncle Vernon thought he was a freak, and well Snape… he had somehow gotten the notion in his head that Harry was somehow a spoiled brat.

"_Why does he always assume the worst about me? If he knew the truth…maybe now he will realize how wrong he has been about me all these years," _Harry thought.

While the nurse was gone, Mrs. Weasley had helped him into the long sleeve night shirt that matched the hospital pajama bottoms he was wearing. She even buttoned it up for him, though Harry probably could have done it himself. It was weird being dressed by Ron's mother, but it also felt really nice. He had no memory of ever being dressed before. Even at a young age he had been expected to look after himself. Aunt Petunia couldn't be bothered and Uncle Vernon certainly wouldn't have helped him with anything.

A short while later, the nurse returned looking quite aggravated after the encounter with her colleague. "Sorry about that…" she looked as if she wanted to say more about the Potion's Master's behavior but left it at that.

Harry then noticed that she had carried a tray to his bed with three separate potions on it. "I will need you sit up a bit to take these. Can you do that?"

Harry nodded and pushed himself up on his elbows, wincing at the pain in his chest. He bit his lower lip to keep himself from crying out. He hoped he could drink the potions quickly so he could lie down again. This awkward position was rather painful. Thankfully, Mrs. Weasley came around the bed and sat down on the edge just behind him to support his weight.

"This one will mend your broken bones and take care of any recent bruising and swelling. The older bruises may not respond to the potion, but they should heal on their own…. This one will prevent any infection and reduce the scarring on your back… And this one is a nutrition potion that will help restore your body back to good health and cure your malnourishment."

Harry drank each on in succession trying to forget about the horrid taste each one left in his mouth. Downing the last one, he suddenly realized what the nurse had said. The doctors had mentioned that word in the hospital too, but he never knew what it meant. "My malnour- what?" he asked.

Molly and Madam Pomfrey exchanged another look. "Harry, your body is severely malnourished from this summer and possibly anemic. I suspect that you haven't been eating that well… or haven't been allowed to eat properly… but whatever the case may be there is no denying the fact that you have been starved. You're practically skin and bones."

Harry was going to protest yet again, but found that he couldn't think of what to say. His tongue seemed to have become stuck in roof of his mouth. Mrs. Weasley gently lowered him back onto the bed and took a seat in a chair near him.

"Now that I think about it, I can't believe that I never realized it before," the nurse said thoughtfully. "You've always been such a small and thin child. I just never thought to determine the causes as to why, and I have never needed to do a full examination before. I suspect that this sort of thing has been going on for a while now. It's probably why you haven't experienced much growth yet. Didn't you ever wonder why you were so much shorter than all the other students in your year when both your parents were tall?"

"I never gave it too much thought before," Harry lied. In actuality he had always wondered why he was the class midget no matter where he attended school. He had been picked relentlessly for being the runt when he went to the Muggle school in Surrey.

"I know you eat well while at Hogwarts, but if you have been subjected to prolonged periods of near starvation…well, over time your body may not be able to utilize the nutrients you do finally get."

"So what does that mean?" Harry asked.

"Well, we have to condition your body to absorb what you need from the food that you eat instead from your body. Malnutrition causes the body to rely on the supply of energy stored in the tissues of your body when the amount of food that you eat is lacking."

"So…can't I just start eating again regularly like I always do?"

"I'm afraid that isn't going to work. You may think it did in the past, but I can assure that the body doesn't work that way. When a person who was malnourished begins to eat normally again, their body has a much harder time determining if it still needs to use its stored energy or not. At least now that this is a problem we can do something about it. I'm going to give Molly here a supply of the nutritional potion. If taken regularly with prescribed meals over the next month your body will begin to absorb and use nutrients again naturally. Over time you should start to gain weight and even experience some growth."

"Prescribed meals?" asked Molly.

"Yes, we need to keep his diet bland until his digestive system can function again normally."

"What do you mean by bland?" Ron's mother persisted.

"Simple meals. Nothing too spicy. Mostly broth, bread, some fruits and vegetables. Limited amounts of meat… I can explain it all to you in detail a little later," Madam Pomfrey told Molly.

"Okay. Don't worry Harry, Ron and the others won't have to know a thing," she reassured him.

"Thanks," he replied softly.

"So how are you feeling?" asked Madam Pomfrey.

Harry took a moment to assess his own body in light of her question. The pain he felt earlier had diminished significantly. "Much better. My whole body feels kind of tingly and I'm still a bit sore."

"Well that is to be expected for the next few days. Your ankle will probably be the most sore considering how it was broken. The tingly sensation you are feeling is from all the healing your body is undergoing. Your bones will need at least another hour to mend completely. Are you feeling sleepy at all?"

"Yes," Harry admitted, yawning loudly. With all the potions that were in his system, he was feeling rather exhausted at the moment. All he wanted to do was go to sleep and forget this mess ever happened.

"I expected as much," said Madam Pomfrey. "Why don't you get some rest?"

Unfortunately, sleep would have to wait another few minutes. The headmaster had entered the infirmary and was making his way over to Harry's bed. He had a grave look on his face that Harry remembered seeing only once before- the night of the third task at the end of fourth year.

"May I please have a moment to speak with Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"Of course," Madam Pomfrey replied, as the two women began to leave the room.

For some reason the idea of being alone right now with the headmaster scared him. He didn't want to answer the questions that he would inevitably ask and he didn't want to see the disappointment in the olds man's face when he learned how pathetic Harry really was. "Can Mrs. Weasley please stay?" Harry asked quietly.

"I don't see why not," he replied with a smile. He sat down beside Harry and Molly resumed her position on the other side of the bed and took his hand gently.

"It seems as if certain truths have come to light that have long been kept hidden," he began.

Harry hated it when Dumbledore sounded so philosophical, especially when his voice was so melodic. It was very disconcerting. He could never figure out if he was in trouble or not. "Sir?"

"What I mean Harry… is that it would appear that you have been mistreated by your relatives. Relatives that I placed you with… I'm so sorry Harry that I never came personally to see how you were faring. I assumed from Mrs. Figg's reports that you were doing well. I just never thought… Harry, why didn't you tell anyone your family was abusing you?"

"Mrs. Figg?" Harry asked trying a diversionary tactic that he knew worked well. "Is she a witch?"

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at Harry's diversion. "A witch, no. A squib, yes. But I don't want us to get off track. Tell me Harry, what happened to you while you were in your relative's care?"

"You don't know?" Harry asked.

"No, I don't. How could I?" Dumbledore asked with surprise.

"I just always assumed you knew because my first Hogwarts letter was addressed to the cupboard under the stairs," he mumbled. Part of the reason he never reached out to anyone, besides the fact that it had failed in the past, was that he thought that the headmaster knew but didn't care. That had hurt most of all.

Dumbledore looked rather sad and he stroked his long white beard thoughtfully. "It would appear that we both made assumptions that were not true. Harry, I assure you, if I had known about this… cupboard, you called it… I would have taken action immediately. Those letters are addressed magically. I never see them."

"Oh," Harry replied. Somehow he didn't feel comforted with that bit of knowledge.

"What is this cupboard you speak of?"

"It was my bedroom until I came to Hogwarts," Harry said with a shrug. "They used to lock me in there sometimes when I was younger. When I got my letter, the Dursleys were so scared that you might someone how retaliate against them for keeping me in a cupboard that they allowed me to have Dudley's second bedroom."

After much prompting, Harry spent the next few minutes giving the adults a watered down version of life with the Dursleys. He told them about his job at the Veterinarian and explained that he didn't have a lot of time to eat because he was working so hard. He also said that his uncle had lost his job and started drinking again (which they already knew because of the accident), and that was the reason why he slapped Harry around once in while. Of course, he left out the most horrific details, and the fact that he beat Aunt Petunia too. Harry couldn't be sure if they bought his story, but they didn't seem to pressing him any further on what he had said. The entire time, Mrs. Weasley held his hand, occasionally giving him an affectionate squeeze to let him know that she was there with him for support.

"Why didn't you tell your friends? Or go to your head of house? We could have done something to protect you," said Dumbledore.

Harry couldn't bear to meet their eyes after what he had revealed. He looked away and replied, "I thought about it a few times, but after my first year I decided that I didn't want anyone to know. I just want to be like everyone else here. You know normal… well, normal as I can be… And you said at the end of last year that the only protection I had against Voldemort was in my aunt's house. I didn't want anyone else to get hurt because of me."

"I see…" said the headmaster, beginning to understand. "Well, you'll be happy to hear that I have arranged for you to stay with the Weasleys at the Burrow for the rest of the summer, but we will need to work out where you will stay in the future."

"But I thought that the Weasleys were my guardians…" Harry said, beginning to feel anxiety once again. Molly wouldn't look at him and Harry wondered if he somehow misunderstood.

"In the Muggle world they have a document stating so, but it will be much more complicated to hand guardianship of you over to the Weasleys in the wizarding world. It will raise a lot of questions and I know you don't want anyone to know what happened to you. Don't worry; Molly and Arthur have both expressed how much they would love for you to stay in their home permanently. And we are trying everything in our power to make that happen. I just want you to understand that this is no easy manner. There's also Sirius to consider, seeing that he is your godfather."

"Where is Sirius?" asked Harry. He hadn't told anyone, but all summer he had secretly hoped that Sirius would come rescue him from the hell hole he was in. In his fantasy his godfather had somehow known something was wrong and came for him, whisking him off to someone unknown location so that they could hide out together. Sirius was still on the run from the Ministry, but Harry really didn't care about any of that as long as he didn't have to go back to his relative's house.

"He's on a secret mission with Remus Lupin for the Order…" the headmaster began.

Harry had heard that term before but had no idea what it meant. "What's the Order?"

"You haven't told him?" Dumbledore asked Molly.

"Ron wanted to be the one to explain everything," she replied giving Harry's hand another squeeze.

"I see…"

"When can I see him again?" Harry asked.

"Sirius? Well, we have sent one of our agents to contact him, but there is no way to know at this time. I should think that you might see him before it is time to return to school."

"Oh, okay," Harry replied feeling rather disappointed. If anyone would understand what he had been going through it would be Sirius, but it appeared as if he was unavailable so to speak.

Harry had been struggling the last few minutes to keep his eyes open, but he found that he was no longer able to. He was just so exhausted from the entire ordeal. Mrs. Weasley leaned over and gently brushed his hair back on his forehead and gave him a kiss. He couldn't remember anything like that ever being done to him before and he found that he liked it very much.

"Get some rest, Harry," she said softly.

He could hear the headmaster and Molly rise from their seats from the sound of the chairs scrapping against the stone floor. They walked a short distance away and seemed to be discussing something. He tried to listen to their conversation, but found that he no longer cared what they had to say. He was just too tired. Sleep overcame him quickly and Harry knew no more.

* * *

_Pouring rain…soaking wet… freezing cold… the smell of whiskey heavy on his uncle's breath… Vernon trying to unsuccessfully screw off the cap of his precious bottle… a stopped car in their path… their car swerving wildly to miss it… now moving out of control… rocking dangerously back and forth….the tires locked up and began squealing loudly…car suddenly slid sideways into oncoming traffic…__headlights coming directly at them…"No!" Harry screamed… a sickening sound of metal hitting metal…air bags deploying…car spinning around almost 360 degrees… rolling to a stop… trapped within… the walls closing in… pain… utter and complete pain…_

"Harry! Harry wake up! It's just a dream…" a voice called.

Harry awoke slowly, confused once again by his surroundings. Everything was blurry and all he could see was someone with red hair looking down at him. A warm strong hand held tightly onto his own.

"Mrs. Weasley?" he called, remembering how she had held his hand earlier.

"No, it's me Ron," the voice replied.

Realization dawned on Harry and he said, "You're holding my hand…"

"Oh, sorry…I just thought… you were having a nightmare… sorry…" Ron muttered, sounding rather unsure of himself. He looked down and pulled his hand away and Harry found that he was strangely disappointed. The loss of warmth left his hand feeling cool and lonely. He stared down at it wondering why he was wishing Ron would take his hand again.

"What were you dreaming about?" Ron asked.

"The accident… I can't stop thinking about it for some reason… every time I close my eyes I can see that car smashing into us…" Harry revealed.

"It must have been scary," he replied.

"It was." Maybe it wasn't the scariest thing that had ever happened, but it certainly had traumatized him more than he cared to let on. Harry felt his throat thicken and he swallowed away the lump painfully. He attempted to sit up and thankfully he felt almost no pain. There was some general soreness but otherwise he felt a million times better.

He reached out instinctively and fumbled about on the nearby nightstand, looking for his glasses. He soon found them along with his wand. Someone must have taken them off while he was sleeping and had placed them there for safe keeping. He quickly placed the frames on his face and the world came back into focus.

"How long have I been asleep?" he asked his friend.

"Only about an hour or so."

"Have you been sitting with me the whole time?" His question came out funny and he knew Ron would probably take it the wrong way.

"Yeah. My parents went to speak to Dumbledore about something so I said I would stay with you. Do you mind?" Ron asked nervously.

"No, I don't mind. Thanks, I guess," Harry replied suddenly feeling very awkward around Ron. He couldn't help but think about his friend holding his hand, and what surprised him most was that he hadn't it minded at all.

Suddenly the house elf, Dobby, appeared out of no where and jumped up onto Harry's bed.

"Dobby is so excited to see Harry Potter awake and that you is okay. Dobby was very worried, sir. Yes, very worried indeed. The nice nurse lady says that Dobby can get Harry Potter and his Wheezy something to eat. Would you be liking something to eat?" the house elf asked, wringing the dirty old pillow case that he still wore in his hands. Both boys smirked at the fact that Dobby still referred to Ron as Harry's Wheezy. Secretly Harry kind of liked Ron's nickname.

"Yes, that would be nice," said Harry. He felt relieved that Dobby had offered to get him something to eat, especially since all he has had in the last two days was hospital food. It had been actually better and a lot more than he would ever receive at the Dursleys, but he was so overwhelmed with worry that he found that he could hard eat anything they gave him. It didn't look all that appetizing anyway.

"Dobby will be right back, sirs…" said Dobby. Before Harry and Ron could even begin a conversation the house elf had disappeared and reappeared with a basket of food and a pitcher of pumpkin juice.

Harry peered inside the basket as Dobby placed it on the bed and saw that he had brought simple sandwiches, made with dry bread, a bit of cheese, and lunchmeat. He was sure that his stomach could handle what he had been given and he had taken the nutrition potion a little while ago so he figured it would be alright. Madam Pomfrey had probably explained the situation to Dobby anyway.

"Dobby, there isn't even mayonnaise or mustard on these sandwiches. What gives?" Ron complained.

"Sorry, that is all we had left in the kitchen, Wheezy, sir," he replied. Ron shrugged his shoulders and dived in, not one to pass on food. Apparently he hadn't a thing to eat all day either.

They munched on their late dinner quietly and Harry could feel the tension rolling between them. He couldn't determine if it was from Ron wanting to ask him questions about what happened or if it was something more.

"If you want to know, just ask," Harry said, setting down his half eaten sandwich, already feeling very full.

"What happened!" Ron exclaimed. "I've been so worried since I got your letter and nobody will tell me much of anything."

Harry decided to give him the quick version and hoped that it was enough. "My uncle was drunk driving and lost control of the car. We slid into oncoming traffic and got hit by another vehicle. The paramedics came and took us to the hospital. I had a broken ankle, some fractured ribs, and… oh yeah, a nasty cut on my forehead."

"There's gotta be more to it than that, "Ron complained. "Why is everyone being so secretive?"

Harry sighed in frustration and closed his eyes. There was no way that he was going to tell Ron about the abuse. He could probably explain how he had gotten a job and Ron sort of knew about his family starving him, but he didn't have the strength at the moment to say anything more. "It's been kind of a long day. Do you mind if I wait to tell you it all until another time?" He asked.

Opening his eyes, he found that Ron looked hurt that he wouldn't tell him more. "Yeah, sure, whatever…" he replied.

The Weasleys returned from their conversation with the headmaster. Madam Pomfrey explained that if Harry was feeling up to it that they could go back to the Burrow tonight.

"Yeah. Let's go already! I'm sick of being here…. sorry, no pun intended, "Ron added, seeing the look the school nurse was giving him.

Harry nodded in agreement, grabbed his wand, and swung his legs off the bed. He rose to his feet shakily and found that his ankle felt a little tenderer now that he was putting his full weight on it. It wasn't too bad though. Nothing could be worse than when he first stood up in the hospital after laying down for so long. That had been the worst pain imaginable.

He limped his way over the fireplace in the nurse's office with some help from Ron, who had grabbed his arm for support.

"Hold on just a moment," said Harry as they reached the doorway. He slipped away to ask Ron's father a question, while the other's continued to enter the office. Mr. Weasley was still in the infirmary itself looking like he wanted to speak with him.

"Excuse me, Mr. Weasley. What about my things?" Harry asked shyly. He had been wondering about it ever since he had been taken from the hospital. He could care less if he ever saw his clothes or even his school books for that matter. Those things could be replaced. He was more concerned about the photo album of his parents and his father's invisibility cloak, along with some other mementoes he had collected over the years at Hogwarts.

"I was just going to speak with you about that. Harry, I'm going to try and stop by your relative's house to get your things. Do you think anyone will be home?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. My aunt Petunia and Dudley may still be at the hospital. I'm not sure how late visiting hours are," Harry replied.

"Well, whether they're home or not I will find a way to get you all your things. Now where might I find everything?"

"Er… most of my stuff is… um… still packed from when I came home from Hogwarts. It's probably locked up in the cupboard under the stairs. I have a few things stashed under a loose floor board beneath my bed. I don't think you will have any trouble figuring out which room is mine." Harry didn't really want to explain in detail that his room would be the one with hardly anything in it, a cat flap on the door, and several locks. The entire situation was embarrassing as it was.

Arthur nodded in understanding. "Alright then. I will see what I can do…"

"Thank you Mr. Weasley… for everything. You don't know how much I appreciate what you have done for me," Harry said earnestly.

"No need for thanks, Harry. We're happy to do what we can for you."

Harry smiled in gratitude and fuzzy warm glow settled around his chest.

"Are we all set now?" asked Molly, seeing that her husband was finished speaking with Harry.

"Yes dear. I will see you back home in a short while," he replied, kissing his wife on the cheek before leaving the office.

Harry limped his way over to where Ron was standing impatiently by the hearth.

"Why don't you go first Ron…" Molly prodded. Harry watched as the tall red head disappeared with in the green flames of the fireplace. He sensed that she had sent her son ahead so that she could speak with him privately once again.

"Everything will be alright Harry. Don't you worry. We don't plan on telling any of our children about… well you know… but I hope that maybe you could find a way to tell Ron," she said softly. There was a hope in her eyes that Harry didn't quite understand.

"If it's all the same, I really don't want to tell him," Harry said quietly. He was already feeling rather pathetic over what had happened and the last thing he needed was pity from his best mate, especially when he was starting to feel something more for him.

"I understand," she replied sadly. "Off you go."

Harry stepped into the fireplace and threw down the handful of floo powder Mrs. Weasley had offered him and clearly said, "The Burrow."

Harry smiled broadly as the magical green flames whisked him off to the best house he had ever been in. Harry had been so grateful to be out of the Muggle hospital and even more relieved to see Hogwarts once again. But nothing compared to the emotion he was feeling about going to the one place he had wanted to be all summer, with the one person that always seemed to linger in the back of his mind.

* * *

A/N: Wow that was a long chapter! Sorry I didn't get it out sooner but I was unbelievably busy last week. I hope you all enjoyed! 

**Many thanks to all my readers and reviewers!**


	8. Unspoken Tension

**Chapter 8- Unspoken Tension**

Flooing was always a dizzying experience and Harry almost never knew when he would arrive at his destination until it was too late. Feeling himself coming to an abrupt halt, Harry tumbled out of the fireplace in the Burrow. Unable to prevent his own momentum, he took another step forward and his injured ankle gave out under the pressure. He then began to pitch sideways with nothing he could grab onto to brace his fall.

Luckily Ron was there to catch him before he fell over completely. The tall red head reached out for him and Harry latched onto him with a vice like grip.

"Alright there mate?" he asked, noticing the wince that had crossed Harry's face.

"Yeah," he replied, standing up straight once again. He rolled his ankle gently to get out the stiffness. "Just a bit sore."

A warmth slowly began to spread into Harry's hand. Glancing down he awkwardly realized that he was still clutching onto Ron's freckled forearm rather tightly. Embarrassed that he was holding onto his friend in such a manner, he retracted his hand like he had touched something hot. Ron looked at him curiously, but said nothing about his sudden odd behavior.

Harry gave a fleeting look around at the Burrow from where he was standing in the kitchen and felt an instant sense of relief. It was just as he remembered it. Cluttered, a little untidy, and remarkably clean just the same. Rooms had been added on as the family grew leaving the Burrow a strangely lopsided structure. It was obvious both from the outside and within that the only thing holding it together was magic. There was a sense of history and you could feel the memories of so many children laughing and playing and growing within its walls. The Burrow was a wonderful home- full of love and family. Everything that Harry had always longed for.

He felt safe here.

Harry had noticed Ron quietly watching him taking in his surroundings and began to feel a little self-conscious. Thankfully, Mrs. Weasley flooed in behind them, breaking the silent tension. She instantly began fretting over Harry before she could even step out of the fireplace. "You look a bit peaked. Why don't you sit down, dear, and have a bit of tea before bed," she said.

Before Harry could argue he found himself being pushed gently into one of the kitchen chairs. "I know you had a late dinner, but can I fix you anything? Maybe a snack?" she asked, searching through her cupboards.

He didn't really feel up to anything else to eat despite the fact he hadn't really even touched the sandwich Dobby had brought him. His stomach was feeling a bit queasy and he wasn't sure if he could hold anything down. It was a sensation that he had become accustomed to over the years when he went through long periods without eating a proper meal, but it left him still feeling wary. It had been a battle that he quietly struggled with most of his life. He made sure he ate enough to stay alive, but he couldn't eat so much that it made him sick. His stomach simply couldn't handle the same type of foods everyone else ate. He made a big show of eating sweets once in a while around his friends and trying to eat a lot during feasts so no one would be suspicious. But he always paid for it later, involuntarily purging his stomach in a nearby toilet after it rejected whatever he had eaten. He was still amazed that no one ever noticed the connection.

He just hoped that Madam Pomfrey's nutritional potions could help him eat normally. Maybe he could even gain some weight and grow taller as well. He hated being the smallest in his year. And it didn't help that his best friend was so much taller than everyone else. He looked like an imp compared to him.

Lost in his thoughts, he finally noticed Ron and his mother still waiting for an answer. Harry didn't want to be rude after all this woman had done for him, so he politely said, "No, thank you. Just the tea, please."

Ron took a seat across from him and shook his head at his mother's actions. "Sorry, Harry, but you're going to have to just grin and bear it. She's been waiting all summer to get her hands on you to fatten you up."

Molly shot her youngest son a dirty look and then glanced over at Harry apologetically. Harry knew that Mrs. Weasley had been concerned over his health even before she had learned the details about Harry's horrid family, so it didn't bother him too much. As far as he knew she tried to fatten everyone up she got her hands on. Food was just her way of showing that she cared. He shrugged his shoulders at her to let her know that it didn't bother him. She nodded slightly and finished preparing his tea.

"Tea, Ron?" she asked her son.

"No thanks," he replied, grimacing as he rubbed his stomach as if to indicate that he was still full from his late dinner with Harry. He did after all inhale four sandwiches before they left. Molly shook her head at her son's appetite and turned her attention back to preparing the tea.

Voices were suddenly heard from upstairs and soon three pairs of footsteps came running down to the first floor. Fred, George, and Ginny plowed into the kitchen bumping into one another anxiously to find out what had brought about the parents and brother's sudden absence.

"Where were you?" Fred inquired. "And why is Harry here?" George asked. Together they looked at the new house guest and added, "Not that we mind. Hi, Harry."

"Hi," he responded shyly. He felt very uncomfortable being barefoot and in his hospital pajamas when everyone else was still fully clothed. He tugged on his thin clothing slightly making sure that any lingering bruises were carefully hidden.

At first he had been tremendously relieved to be back at the Burrow, but now he was starting to feel unsure of himself again. It had been a long two days and he really didn't feel up to explaining everything again.

Ignoring her children's questions Molly asked, "Did anyone from the Order come by while we were gone?"

"Yeah," replied George. "Hestia Jones and ol' Mad-Eye Moody stopped by and updated the wards around the Burrow."

"Nobody can apparate in or out of here within a hundred yards now," Fred said glumly. George shook his head sadly as if it were some great tragedy.

Ginny smiled at the twins and chuckled lightly. "I swear… you two are so dramatic. By the looks on your faces one might think that the world had come to end instead of just the wards being updated. You're just upset because you two can't pop in and out of every room now, scaring us half to death!

Harry was surprised as he had never heard Ginny say so many words in front of him before. She didn't even seem to be nervous around Harry like she used to be. It was no secret that the youngest Weasley had had a crush on Harry since they first met at the train station, and she used to be painfully shy around him. It would now seem that she had grown more confident after three years at Hogwarts.

"You two can apparate now?" Harry asked, finding his voice.

Ron nodded, answering for them. "They got their licenses as soon as they came of age. It's been really annoying living with those two these last few weeks."

"So what's going on? Why's Harry here?" asked Ginny, placing both of her hands on her hips in a determined manner. She was the spitting image of her mother at the moment.

"You didn't tell them?" Molly asked Ron. He shook his head no and glanced at Harry worriedly. His mother sighed and looked at her other children and said, "It's a long story, and we're all too tired to explain it right now."

"But-" Ginny started.

"No buts… It's late. I'm assuming that you the three of you found something to eat for dinner…" They nodded. "I want you upstairs and in your own rooms-" she began.

Fred cut her off, "We're not tired-"

"-and we want to know what's going on. Where's Dad?" finished George. All three had their arms crossed over their chests in a show of unity to show that they weren't going to follow their mother's orders until they got some answers.

"You're father will be home shortly. Now go on," she said firmly.

"But it's summer and it's too early to go to bed," Ginny complained, looking very put out by being dismissed once again while Ron got to stay behind. Harry could have sworn that she had given Ron a jealous look.

"Well then go to your rooms and read or study or something. But whatever you do, I don't want any of you bothering Harry tonight… or tomorrow for that matter. He's been through enough already and I won't have you pestering him."

Ginny and the twins looked at Harry in alarm and he quickly looked away not wanting to meet their gaze. "Was it You-Know-Who?" asked George, his voice almost in a whisper.

By then Mrs. Weasley had had enough. "That's it," she said rounding in on them. "You're going back to your rooms even if I have to hex you to do it. I told you to leave the poor boy alone."

Harry was somewhat surprised by her aggressive tone, but knew that she had a quick temper like Ron.

The three siblings looked at their mother's angry face fearfully. Apparently they knew better than to mess with her. Ron had told Harry long ago that she had been known to stun her own children when childhood arguments erupted into fist fights. With a house full of six rowdy boys, situations like that arose fairly often. It was all she could do to maintain a sense of order or things would get out of control with all the testosterone in the house.

She gently pushed the trio up the stairs and Ron and Harry heard them grumbling indignantly all the way. Mrs. Weasley turned back to Harry and said, "Sorry about that, dear. Sometimes a mother has to be firm with her children. I know you didn't feel like getting into any explanations right now."

"No I didn't," Harry admitted.

She smiled at him warmly and said, "Arthur and I will explain things to them in the morning so you don't have to."

"Thanks," he said appreciatively, knowing that she would leave out what he didn't want them to know.

He was starting to feel better about the situation until he heard two separate doors slam closed from up above. Harry then felt guilty that he had caused an argument between the Weasleys. He hated keeping secrets from these kind people, but urge to keep them secret was even stronger.

She then finished preparing the tea, while he and Ron sat in silence. Neither of them knew what to say and they were both casting furtive glances at one another when they thought the other wasn't looking. An unspoken tension was rising between them, though neither completely understood why.

Harry accepted the steaming hot mug of tea she had presented him and inhaled the aromatic scent. He took a hesitant sip fearing that it may burn his tongue, but found it to be the perfect temperature. The taste was heavenly and Harry couldn't even think of what flavor the herbal tea was. All he knew was that a wonderful sensation had overcome him and he felt more relaxed than he had in a long while.

He smiled at Mrs. Weasley appreciatively, who had taken a seat beside Ron. "Thank you. This is wonderful. I've never tasted anything like it."

"It's Mum's special recipe," replied Ron. His eyes were shining with a fondness for his mother's creation like it was some sort of great invention.

"It's just your basic blend of herbal tea. Don't worry Harry, it's decaffeinated so it won't keep you up. And just so you know, dear, I put a mild calming draught in there as well. I've been doing it with my children for years to help them sleep at night," she said.

Harry took another few sips of his tea as he watched Ron interact with his mother, relishing the calmness that overcame him.

"What?" asked Ron seeming surprised. "I didn't know that. Is _that_ your secret ingredient?"

"What did you think it was?" his mother asked with an amused expression on her face.

"I-I don't know," said Ron as he threw up his hands as he tried to think of an explanation, "but it never occurred to me that you were drugging me to put me back to sleep."

"It's not a drug really. My brew is far too mild to be considered that. Besides, at one point you were having so many nightmares that I had to do something to help you sleep," his mother revealed. "And I couldn't give you a sleeping potion every night."

"Nightmares? About what?" Harry asked curiously, setting his mug back down on the table. He wasn't aware that Ron ever suffered from nightmares.

"It's nothing," Ron said quickly, glaring at his mother for revealing something so personal. He looked thoroughly embarrassed and his face was turning bright red.

"C'mon, Ron, tell me…" Harry insisted. Ron muttered something under his breath. "What was that?"

All he said next was one word, "Spiders."

Harry suddenly understood. During their second year at Hogwarts Ron had admitted to him his abhorrence of spiders. Apparently one of the twins had turned his teddy bear into a spider while he was still holding it. He had hated the eight legged creatures ever since. Harry had no idea that he had suffered from nightmares from the experience. Running from a herd of Acromantulas probably hadn't helped the situation either.

"It's no big deal, Ron. Everyone has nightmares now and again. I certainly have more than my fair share," Harry reassured him. Ron nodded at him, obviously remembering that Harry had awoken from a nightmare only an hour or so ago.

When Harry had finished his tea Mrs. Weasley suggested that he Ron go upstairs to his room and get ready for bed.

Ron led the way, moving slowly for Harry who was having trouble on the stairs. His body was still sore from all the healing he had undergone today and he was feeling sluggish from the tea. He grabbed onto the railing of the stairs for support and followed his friend up to the room they would now share.

Ginny's room was oddly silent, but they could hear the twins talking animatedly about Harry's sudden appearance and forming theories to explain why their father hadn't come home yet. Neither Ron nor Harry said anything about the conversation they heard as they walked by, each one wanting to get upstairs and be alone with the other.

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

Arthur Weasley made his way down Privet Drive until he reached house Number Four. There wasn't a car in the driveway and the house was completely dark. Relieved that no one was home, he slipped through the front gate and walked cautiously up to the door. He then used an unlocking charm to let himself into the Dursleys' residence. Thankfully he had made it in undetected by any of the neighbors.

He had been here only once before, when he and his three youngest sons retrieved Harry before the Quidditch World Cup. Meeting Harry's relatives had been a disaster in the making. Molly had felt that it was important to ask Harry's relatives if he could go the world games properly. They had sent an invitation by Muggle post and had apparently placed too many stamps on it, embarrassing the Dursleys in front of their postal carrier. And then they had mistakenly tried to floo into the fireplace, but found that it had been boarded up. Arthur had had to blast his way through, destroying the brick work around the hearth and the mantle in the process.

He had tried so hard to be polite to Harry's awful relatives, but with no success. They were absolutely horrid people. They wouldn't even say goodbye to their own nephew when they were leaving to go to the Burrow. His uncle had even chucked china at them when Arthur tried to help his son who had mistakenly eaten one of the twins' Ton-Tongue Toffees.

Remembering that incident made Arthur grateful that they weren't home while he was collecting Harry's things, though part of him would love to get his hands on his uncle for what he had done to Harry. He despised the Dursleys even more now that he knew how they had treated his son's best friend.

He scanned the walls looking for something to turn on the lights. He was delighted to find the "eckeltricity" switch beside the door and flipped it upwards. Amazingly the lights turned on, without the help of magic. He turned it on and off a few times in amusement and decided to focus on his task once again before he alerted anyone of his presence.

The modest size house was as neat as ever, every picture and piece of furniture positioned just so. Arthur noted that not a single picture of Harry could be seen on any of the walls. They were mostly of his Muggle cousin, Dudley, smiling in various poses. His was so obese that he took up the entire width of the frame with his enormous body.

Arthur made his way over to the cupboard under the stairs where Harry believed his trunk had been hidden. He used another unlocking charm to open the pad-locked door and pulled it open. Inside he immediately found Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage, but he also found another curious sight.

He shrunk both of Harry's belongings seeing that there was nothing else of his, and placed them in his pocket for safe keeping. He then investigated the cupboard further. A piece of string hung from the ceiling and was connected to a bare light bulb. Pulling on it, Arthur found that the string caused the light bulb to turn on and off- very curious. He pulled it a few more times for the sheer joy of it, and then turned his attention back to the cupboard.

It was fairly small, too small for him to even stand up in or lay down for that matter. A small cot with a thin worn blanket had been placed in the corner of the tiny cupboard. With a heavy heart he sat down upon it and glanced around at the many shelves that occupied the area. They were lined with miscellaneous house hold items- numerous boxes of various sizes, tools, canned goods, etc. Arthur was suddenly filled with such sadness as he realized that this was where Harry had slept nearly all his life- just as useless and unwanted as the items that lined the dusty shelves to these people.

There was such a sense of loneliness in this small space that it was overwhelming. Cobwebs decorated nearly every corner and even with the light on, the cupboard had an eerie feeling about it.

He was just about to leave when he noticed something on the wall just above the pillow on the cot. Looking closer he saw a simple drawing done in red crayon. It was so small that he never would have noticed if he weren't already sitting on this pathetic excuse of a bed. The image was of three stick figures- presumably two adults holding hands with a small child in the middle. He knew in his heart that it wasn't a drawing of his relatives, but an attempt to capture some forgotten moment with his own parents before they died. It broke his heart to see this feeble drawing in Harry's old bedroom. It must have been the last thing Harry saw every night before he went to bed.

He was surprised that Harry would risk drawing such a thing on the wall knowing how his relatives treated him, but it was probably that small bit of comfort- knowing that someone used to love and care about him- that got him through this hellish nightmare. How the boy remained sane after being locked up like a caged animal was beyond his understanding. He had already suffered so much. Why did the Dursleys inflict even more pain upon him?

Thoroughly disgusted by now with Harry's living conditions he moved quickly out of the cupboard, turning off the light, and slamming the door behind him. He didn't even bother to redo the lock on the outside. What did it even matter really?

He then moved swiftly up the stairs. Harry hadn't told him which bedroom was his, but he didn't have to. Arthur knew from the locks on the outside which room belonged to the small teen. He had learned from Molly while Harry was asleep that Harry had only been given this bedroom after he had received his Hogwarts letter. The Dursleys had been afraid that if anyone from the magical world came to investigate they might learn more about Harry's home life. Curiously that fear never stopped them from depriving the boy of food and clothing, or beatings for that matter.

Why weren't they afraid that Harry would get help? Was Harry so well conditioned to his own neglect that he thought that he deserved it?

Thankfully, this door was unlocked. He used the switch on the wall to turn on the lights, still amazed that it worked every time without any magic at all. The room was almost completely bare except for a bed, desk, dresser, and what looked like a small pile of broken toys in one corner of the room. Arthur had never seen such an apparent disregard to one's belongings and could only conclude that the broken pile belonged to Harry's spoilt cousin. They looked very strange indeed, with wires and plugs sticking out every which way. He would have liked to have confiscated a couple of Muggle toys for himself to take apart, but he decided against it. He didn't want to jeopardize his position in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office.

Remembering what Harry had said he knelt beside the bed, noting once again the sad state of the boy's blankets and sheets, and felt around the floor. He found the loose floor board and pried it open with his bare hands. Inside he found an invisibility cloak and a photo album. He knew from his son that they had used the cloak on more than one occasion during one of their many adventures. It was one of Harry's most prized possessions and had even once belonged to his father. He pulled the trunk from his pocket and enlarged so that he could include these new items. He then made sure there was nothing else of Harry's in the room.

He did find some old clothes in the closet and drawers, but they were too large to fit Harry properly. Arthur figured that these must be the hand-me downs Harry got from his cousin. Having raised seven children himself, he was no stranger to hand me down clothes. They simply couldn't afford to dress them all in new clothes every year. The Dursleys on the other hand could afford to buy the boy proper clothing; they just didn't see it as necessary and continued their history of neglect.

He sighed sadly. Arthur didn't want to include these ratty old clothes with the rest of Harry's things, but he didn't have any other choice. He and Molly were more than happy to take Harry in, but there was no way that they would be able to afford to buy him all new clothes too. These would just have to do for now. Harry could probably wear some of Ron's old things as well, seeing that they were in better condition that Dudley's hand-me-downs.

Arthur knew Harry had been left some money when his parents died, but he would hate to ask the boy to buy all of his own things. That money should be saved for when he got married and bought a house. He would have to wait and speak to Molly about what they should do.

He finally decided to add only the clothes that were in the best condition to the trunk and shrunk it once again. Depositing it back into his pocket he turned off the light and stepped into the hallway.

A noise near the front entrance alerted his attention and he froze in place. Harry's aunt and cousin had just arrived home from the hospital.

"I could have sworn that I had locked the door and turned off all the lights before we left…." Arthur heard Petunia say.

He would have rather avoided this confrontation, but it appeared that was no longer possible. With the wards still in place it was impossible for him to apparate to another location. Seeing he had no other option, he descended the stairway and stepped into view.

Dudley noticed his presence first and shouted, "Mum! Mum! It's one of those freaks!"

Arthur had changed back into his robes as soon as they arrived at the castle, feeling very awkward in the Muggle clothing. He hadn't bothered to change back again before coming to collect Harry's things, hoping that the darkness of the night would disguise his presence from nosy neighbors.

She whirled around to find Arthur still on the landing. "How dare you enter my home uninvited!" she yelled at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to collect Harry's things…" he began to say.

Petunia was beyond furious. "You're the ones that removed him from the hospital, aren't you?" she said, probably referring to magical folk in general. "I should have known! Always meddling in business that's not your own!"

"When it comes to Harry we make it our business!" Arthur shouted, growing angry. Harry's aunt may not have been administering the beatings but she certainly had a hand in the out right neglect the boy had suffered all these years.

Her eyes narrowed as she recognized the face in front of her. "Yes, I remember you. You're the one that came with all those awful red headed boys to collect th boy last summer. You destroyed our fireplace and cursed my poor boy!"

"I did no such thing… I tried to explain all of this before…" he replied, tiredly. Glancing at Harry's cousin he saw that the boy was strangely covering his mouth with one hand and covering his bottom with the other as he backed up against the opposite wall. As much as he wanted to he had no intentions of getting into an argument with the woman, so he said, "Listen, I'm sorry I let myself in like that but you weren't home and I had to get Harry's things."

"You had no right!" she screamed. "Get out!"

"I have every right after the way you treated Harry," he shouted back. It was all he could do to restrain himself from cursing the woman into oblivion.

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Oh yes I do... we know everything. The way you forced him to work like a house elf… how you starved him and beat him… What kind of people are you for doing that to a child!" Every muscle was tense his body as he shouted at this pathetic woman. This was Lily's sister for Merlin's sake!

Dudley looked at him in alarm, apparently never hearing his parents' treatment of Harry described in such a manner.

"I don't know who you've been talking to, but we didn't do any of those things. Has that Mitchell woman from Social Services been telling you these lies?" she asked suspiciously.

"They are not lies and yes we've spoken to her… and we've talked to Harry as well," he admitted.

"He promised me he wouldn't say anything! What has that little freak been telling you?" she said, pointing her finger at him menacingly. She had seemed so timid the last time Arthur saw her that this new version of her was almost unsettling. Recent events must have caused her to find some sort of bravery within herself to stand up to fully trained wizard.

"He's not a freak!"

"Tell me what he said!" she demanded

"That's between Harry and us… but I will tell you this… we know enough to get your husband convicted on criminal abuse and neglect. If he isn't tried in your courts then he will be in ours. No child should ever be treated that way."

"He's deserved everything that he has ever gotten and more. Always flaunting his abnormality in our face. None of this would have happened if it weren't for the boy! It's all his fault that my poor husband is lying in the hospital in pain."

Arthur was dumbfounded. "How is this Harry's fault? Your husband was drinking and driving!"

"He wouldn't have started drinking if Harry hadn't made him lose his job! Besides Harry probably made the accident happen… looking for attention. He's so jealous of my son that it's sickening," she hissed.

"You honestly believe that, don't you? There is no talking to you, is there? You just see what you want to see."

"How did you even know he was in the hospital? Did he contact you or something?" At Arthur's silence to that question she responded. "He did, didn't he? Damn him!"

"It doesn't matter how we found out; all that matters that he is safe with us, which is more than I can say for you," said Arthur studying her black eye and left arm, still wrapped in a sling over her shoulder.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Petunia asked her voice low and guarded.

"You could get help too, you know. Why do you even put up with his abuse?" he asked, pointing to her injured arm.

She looked down at her arm sadly and then back at him. Her eyes narrowed once again as anger filled her every being. "How dare you! You bastard! You don't even know what you're talking about."

"It doesn't take a genius to see what he's doing to you. We could help you get away if you'd like," Arthur offered.

He knew even as he said it that Petunia would never seek help from a wizard, but he wouldn't feel right as a human being without at least offering. Even in light of what he learned Petunia had done to Harry, he still felt that no one should have to put up with such abuse.

"Get out! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

"With pleasure," he muttered as he brushed past the woman and out the front door.

Arthur quickly crossed the yard and let himself out of the gate. Several strides later he found himself outside of the Arabella Figg's house. He let himself in knowing that she was expecting him. She had been informed of Harry's situation and her tired, weathered face now spoke volumes about how she was feeling about everything.

He wanted nothing more than to scream at the old woman for not noticing that there was something wrong with Harry all the years that she watched over him, but he restrained himself. In her defense, however, Harry was an incredible actor. He had hidden his secrets from his closest friends, after all. Although, he was sure that Ron had suspected something was wrong for a while now.

Arthur grabbed a handful of floo powder and threw it into the fireplace, thankful to finally be going home.

* * *

Leaning heavily on the railing of the stairway for support, Harry soon found himself in Ron's bedroom. He stepped in, his head almost touching the steeply sloping ceiling, and breathed a sigh of relief that it too had not changed since the last time he had been here. The brilliant shade of orange that Ron loved so much- the color of his favorite Quidditch team- covered nearly everything: the bedspread, the walls, even the ceiling. Chudley Cannons posters covered nearly every inch of the wallpaper, illustrating the seven current members of the team. Each one performing death defying maneuvers hoping to impress any on looker. 

Harry hobbled over to the other bed in the room and sat down heavily. After all that movement his ribs and ankle were burning from all of the effort and he was thankful to sit down again.

"Where's Hedwig?" Harry asked suddenly.

"Probably out flying. She's been really anxious while being separated from you. I'm sure she'll be glad to see you again." Harry nodded and rubbed his eyes beneath his glasses.

Ron flopped down on his own bed sideways and propped his head up on his hand watching Harry. "Are you tired? Do you want to go to sleep?"

Harry thought about the question and realized as tired as he still was he wanted to stay up for a bit longer. "I'm sort of tired, but I'm not ready to go to bed just yet," he replied.

"Do you want to play a game of chess?" asked Ron hopefully. "I haven't played a decent game yet since I've been home."

"Sure," said Harry, knowing that he wouldn't fare much better than any of Ron's recent opponents. Ron had tried to teach Harry to play well, but he never seemed able to strategize his moves the way Ron could. His best mate was a master when it came to chess; that much was proven during their first year when they set off in search of the elusive Philosopher's Stone. Harry would never forget the look on Ron's determined face just before the white queen struck him in the head with her great stone arm. It had been horrible leaving his friend behind bleeding while he went on to find the Stone.

Harry watched as Ron opened his closet and grabbed his wizard's chess set that had been neatly tucked away the on floor. Closing the door behind him, Harry noticed the navy blue dress robe swinging on a hook on the back of the door.

"Where did that come from?" Harry asked, wondering if the twins had actually done what he had asked of them.

Ron grinned from ear to ear as he looked back at his new robe. "Isn't it awesome? Fred and George bought it for me, if you can believe that." He was obviously quite taken with the robe and looked upon it almost lovingly.

"Yeah, it's amazing. It would look great on y…" Harry caught himself as he realized what he was saying. He had been imagining what Ron's body would look like in the masculine cut. "What I mean… is… the twins really bought that for you? Wow."

"Yeah. It's weird, I know. At first I thought it was a joke or something, but they seemed pretty serious. They said it had something to do with some private investor," Ron said, looking back at him for his reaction.

Harry smiled knowingly and chuckled lightly. Ron mistook his laughter, however, and said, "I know… who in their right minds would invest in those crazy dunderheads?"

Harry laughed even harder unable to help himself and Ron joined in not even realizing what they were laughing about. Soon their laughter subsided and Ron began setting up his chess set on Harry's bed.

They both sat cross legged across from one another, with only the chess set between them. Harry was white, Ron was black. For some reason, the tension they were experiencing earlier had come back once again. Neither of them knew what to say so they said nothing at all.

Sitting there quietly, Harry began to feel the effects of the calming draught that had been placed in his tea more and more. At least the pain he had been experiencing while climbing the stairs had subsided. His heart wasn't really into the game, but he figured they might as well finish it since they had already started.

He was rather tired after all he had gone through today. In fact, it was probably one of the longest days in his life. He already dealt with his social worker and a police officer, been screamed at by his aunt, rescued by the Weasleys, and then healed by Madam Pomfrey, while all his secrets came spilling out. It was exhausting to say the least and his brain was feeling pretty foggy, interfering with his game.

The chess pieces seemed to notice he wasn't playing very well and began shouting all kinds of advice up at him. He listened to what they had to say, but found all their efforts were useless. Ron seemed to know what he was going to do before he even made a move, and one by one his pieces were brutally taken out by the animated characters. Ron's pieces were oddly silent, seeming to understand that he knew what he was doing and didn't need the advice.

On a few occasions, Harry and Ron's hands brushed past one another accidentally, as one person was drawing their hand away and the other was reaching to move a piece. If Harry didn't know better he would have sworn that it felt like a gentle caress- their hands barely touching, but issuing just enough contact to cause a slight tingly sensation to ride up his arms like an electric current.

Harry couldn't help but enjoy it for some strange reason. He loved being this close to Ron, and if it weren't for the chess game between them, they probably would have been a considerable distance farther apart. After all, friends weren't supposed to want to sit that closely to one another, especially not guys. It's one thing if you were crammed together in a classroom or even at a table in dining hall, but it's quite another to elicit closeness when it wasn't necessary. Friends just didn't do that, but Harry found himself wanting to more and more.

Feeling uncertain about all of his emotions, Harry tried not to make eye contact with the red head. What if Ron could see all the things going on in his heart with just one look into his eyes? Harry felt like he was acting weird, and he hoped that Ron wasn't picking up any weird vibes from him. At one point he felt Ron's piercing blue eyes watching and he looked up curiously, only to find his friend looking quickly away. Did Ron feel the unspoken electricity between them, too? Or was it all in Harry's mind?

The game ended rather swiftly. Harry had lost all but four of his chess pieces and managed to capture only three of Ron's. It was a sad defeat, but Harry didn't really care. He knew Ron probably could have won much sooner, but he had given Harry yet another opportunity to improve his skills.

"You'll do better next time," Ron finally said, breaking the silence.

Harry merely shrugged and sat back on his pillows, bringing his knees up to his chest. Ron put away the chess pieces and placed his set on the nearby night stand. He then lay sideways on the bed beside Harry with his head propped up on his hand.

Harry couldn't help but notice how closely Ron was still sitting near him and wondered why he hadn't moved away yet. His right hand moved across his waist and gently felt his ribs tenderly as his mind began to wander

"Are you still sore?" asked Ron, seeming concerned.

"Not really," Harry answered honestly.

A strange warmness had suddenly settled in around his chest, leaving him feeling very confused. At first he thought that the sensation might be attributed to the potion he had taken earlier to heal his broken bones, seeing that it was still in his system. But as he thought more about it, he realized that this sensation was different than before.

Harry could only describe it as a happy feeling. Maybe it had something to do with the special tea Mrs. Weasley had made him drink. Or maybe it was because he felt so safe and warm sitting close to his best friend in the one place on earth he truly wanted to be right now.

"So do you want to know what's going on?" asked Ron casually, looking up at his friend from his awkward position.

"Sure."

"Well, after what happened last year…" Ron stopped to see if it was okay with Harry that he could continue, "And seeing Fudge's denial over what happened, Dumbledore resurrected a secret society called the Order of the Phoenix. It was originally created during You-Know-Who's first rise to power. I think your parents were on it as well…" Harry nods in understanding, figuring that was probably what had gotten them killed. "Anyway, a lot of the old members, who are still around, joined again along with many others. My parents and Bill and Charlie are members. So are Lupin and Sirius. There are also a few aurors too. You might have already met Tonks today. She's the only one I really know. She's a metamorphagus and can do some pretty amazing things with her appearance."

"Yeah, I met Tonks. She came to the hospital with your parents. She seems really nice. I also met a guy named Shacklebolt," said Harry. "So what does the Order of the Phoenix do?"

"Mainly watch You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters' activities so they can figure out what he's going to do next. Their goal is to try and keep people safe while they find a way to defeat him once and for all. It's pretty dangerous. Some of the members are responsible for recruiting others to the cause. Others work at the Ministry and secretly leak information to us on any new developments. The Order even has a spy in You-Know-Who's inner circle."

"Let me guess. Snape?" Harry asked.

"Yep. How did you know?" Ron seemed surprised that Harry knew this.

"Lucky guess." Harry had distinctly remembered Dumbledore's words to Snape after they learned of Voldemort's return and always wondered what he meant. "_You know what I must ask you to do. If you are ready . . . if you are prepared ..."_ How awful it must be for the professor to be a spy during such a dark time.

"Sirius's family has a home hidden in a Muggle neighborhood in London. He's offered it to the Order to be the headquarters because it's unplottable and covered in various wards," said Ron, brushing his hair out of his eyes with his free hand. Harry watched as he then rubbed at his face tiredly.

"I didn't know Sirius had his own house…" Harry said quietly, mulling over the idea. If Sirius hadn't been sent to Azkaban was that where he and Harry would have lived.

"Well, it belonged to his family, but from what I saw he hates being there again. I guess his parents believed in the dark arts and he ran away when he was still in Hogwarts."

"Is Sirius there now?" Harry asked, yawning loudly. He was getting progressively more tired with each passing minute.

"No, he and Professor Lupin are on some sort of secret mission. They've been gone a couple of weeks now," Ron replied.

"Oh," said Harry, realizing that Dumbledore had already told him that.

"Dad wanted us to move into the headquarters, which would have been cool, but Mum refused. She says that '_it isn't fit for human habitation_,'" he said in a voice much like his mother's. "She said that she would rather floo or Apparate to and from the headquarters then stay a single night in that house."

Harry was really curious now. "Why? What's wrong with it?"

"Well, there's this horrible portrait of Sirius's mum that screams at everyone who comes in the door. They've tried to take her down, but she's got some sort of sticking charm on the back of the painting. The only thing they can do is cover her with heavy curtains, but she still manages to open them and shout really vulgar things at everyone. It's quite frightening really. And there are all sorts of awful pests living in the old house hiding in every nook and cranny. And it's really dusty and full of cobwebs. The house elf, Kreacher, hasn't really bothered to keep the place clean after his mistress died."

"How do you know all this stuff?" Harry asked. He was used to being kept in the dark about things, and the fact that Ron seemed so worldly about what was going on was surprising.

Ron flipped onto his stomach and braced his elbows on the bed, looking up at him. "Well, Mum and Dad tell us some stuff, mainly because we annoy them with all of our questions. But sometimes we get to hang out at Black Manor during Order meetings when both of our parents need to be present. They're all paranoid about leaving us here alone. Fred and George have created something called Extendable Ears that have become really useful for listening in on their meetings."

"You eavesdrop?"

"Well, we used to until we got caught. Now they have an impenetrable charm on all the doors so we can't listen in," Ron said.

"What's going on with your brothers?" Harry asked, feeling more comfortable now that Ron was doing most of the talking.

"Well, Fred and George have been working on Weasleys Wizard Wheezes and annoying us to no end. And Charlie and Bill are both in the Order, like I said, but they're doing different things. Charlie is recruiting members in Romania when he isn't tending to the dragons. And Bill is expected to come home soon and work directly with Gringott's instead of traveling all over as a curse breaker. I'm not sure what he will do for the Order, though. And Percy…" Ron said with a sigh. "Percy is kind of a sore subject right now. So don't bring him up with my Mum."

"Why?"

Ron looked away, unable to meet his gaze. "I hate to tell you this Harry…. But he doesn't believe anything that happened to you during the third task… Fudge has got him thinking that you made the whole story up for attention."

"What!" he shouted. He knew Percy could be difficult, but believing that he had been making up lies was insulting.

Ron sighed sadly and looked back at him. "I know, I know. The whole family is really upset over it. Percy moved out the day I came home from Hogwarts and we really haven't seen him since. We get an occasional owl from him, but his letters are full of things that he overhears at the Ministry about how foolish Dumbledore is for believing you."

"That's a load of rubbish!" Harry shouted angrily. "He has no idea what happened to me. No one does!"

Ron put a hand on his arm to calm him. "Listen, we all believe you and that's what matters. Percy is just too hell bent on becoming Fudge's right hand man to listen."

Harry was still really upset that Percy thought so little of him, but he was even more upset that he had inadvertently caused a rift between the close nit Weasley family. Wanting to change the subject he asked, "So have you heard from Hermione?"

Ron noticed the abrupt change in subject but said nothing about it. He removed his hand from his arm and said, "Yeah, we've owled a couple of times since she let Rita Skeeter go."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Ron looked at him in disbelief. "Don't you remember? Rita Skeeter is an unregistered animagus. She flew around school all year as a beetle gathering gossip about you."

"Oh yeah, that's right. I had almost forgotten with everything that happened. Wasn't Malfoy telling her all sorts of things? What happened to her?"

"Well, after finding her on the window sill in the infirmary, Hermione kept her in a glass jar for a while until she felt Skeeter had learned her lesson. She had actually kept the poor woman locked up in that jar for a whole week until she promised to stop writing those horrible things about you for a year."

Harry stilled as he realized the magnitude of Hermione had done for him. "You're kidding me right? Hermione did this?"

"Yep. She's really quite scary when she wants to be," Ron replied with a shudder. "Did I tell that Hermione's off visiting Vicky in Bulgaria?"

"Victor Krum? But I thought they were just friends. I didn't think she would actually take him up on his offer," said Harry, rather surprised.

"Neither did I. She swears that they are still just friends, but I'm not so sure," Ron answered. Seeing the look Harry was giving he said, "Not that I care, mind you. She can date whoever she bloody wants."

"Aren't you jealous?" Harry asked curiously.

"Why would I be jealous?"

Harry pulled on the cuff of his sleeves wondering what he should say. This conversation could possibly reveal things he didn't necessarily want to know. "I don't know. I thought you liked her. You certainly seemed upset that she went to the Yule Ball with Victor instead of you."

"I don't like Hermione," Ron insisted. "At least not that way."

"You don't?" Harry asked incredulously. He had been so sure that Ron still harbored a crush over their female best friend.

"No, for a while I thought I did. But I realized this summer that I never really did." Harry was utterly amazed and didn't know what to say. He secretly hoped that there was more to it than just that. Ron continued, "I think I was just annoyed that she was hanging around Krum so much instead of us. He irritated me to no end with his _Her-my-oh-knee_ nonsense. I swear, what does she see in him?"

"I don't know," Harry replied wondering the same thing. "Did she say anything else?"

"Well, she keeps asking about you..." Ron's voice trailed off slightly.

"What did you tell her?" Harry asked, looking at him sideways out of the corner of his eye.

"The truth. That I had no idea how you were doing at the time. How _are_ you doing? What did you do this summer?" Ron asked, finally crossing the barrier they had put up all night about what Harry had gone through these last few weeks.

Harry sighed deeply and took a moment to gather his thoughts. "Well, I didn't do all that much this summer, but I have been pretty busy. Uncle Vernon's company went bankrupt and the Dursleys had some financial difficulty, so I helped out by getting a job."

"You got a job? But you're only fourteen!" In the wizarding world it was unheard of for a minor to get a job before they finished their schooling.

"I'll be fifteen pretty soon, thank you very much, but yes I got a job. I worked at a local veterinarian cleaning out cages and taking care of the animals."

"That sounds like fun. Was it like our Care of Magical Creatures class?"

Harry shook his head. "No, it was much worse. I worked like ten hours a day and came home smelling of things I'd rather not talk about."

"Well, at least you made some money," Ron tried to say, looking on the bright side of things.

Harry looked away and crossed his arms over his chest. Ron sat up beside him and said, "Don't tell me your uncle took every penny?"

"I was helping them out," Harry stated softly, not willing to admit that he didn't have a choice in the matter.

Ron huffed angrily beside him but didn't push the issue further. "How were your relatives this summer?" asked Ron again finally. "Were they as awful as they were before?"

Harry didn't dare look at Ron as he asked him that loaded question. He could feel his eyes burning into his skin seeking out his secrets. Now was his chance to come clean… to tell Ron everything… every last horrific detail. But Harry found himself not wanting to tell him a thing.

He was ashamed and embarrassed. Part of him felt weak for allowing his relatives to do all those awful things to him, but another part of him felt like he deserved it, especially after what happened only a couple of months ago. How could Ron possibly understand all of the guilt he still felt?

To make matters worse, there were all of these feelings about his best friend that were stirring inside of him. And he didn't know how he was going to deal with any of it. If there was any chance that Ron felt the same about him, he didn't want to jeopardize anything by revealing how pathetic he really was. What if Ron was disgusted with him and pushed him away? He couldn't bear it if that happened.

So Harry decided to stay silent about the subject and made himself a solemn vow that he would never tell Ron if he could help it.

Finally answering his friend's questions he quietly said, "They were the same as always," which really was the truth when you thought about it.

Ron opened his mouth to say more when Harry shifted down into his bed so that he was lying on his side facing away from him. "I'm pretty tired now," he said, yawning loudly as if to illustrate his point. He then took of his glasses and set them on top of the chess set on the night stand.

"Oh, okay…" Ron scooted off the bed and crossed the room to turn off the lights and then went to his own bed. "Harry? Is there something you're not telling me? Because I get this feeling that there's more going on that you're leaving out… I would understand you know."

"Nothing's going on. I'm fine, Ron," Harry said into the darkness.

"You always say that," he heard him mutter under his breath as he climbed under the covers. "I just never believe you."

There was a defeated tone in Ron's voice. Harry couldn't bring himself to answer because his friend was right. No one said another word after that.

Harry found that he didn't have any trouble falling asleep that night. Sheer exhaustion caused sleep to claim him soon after he closed his eyes. Unfortunately, tonight would not be a restful sleep. Apparently Mrs. Weasley's calming draught was just that… calming. It did nothing to protect him from the onslaught of dreams he would experience.

After his conversation with Ron he had several nightmares about his uncle. The most terrifying one took place in the Muggle hospital he had been brought to after the accident. In the dream Vernon had somehow managed to slip out of ICU and came looking for him. Harry had found himself tied down to the bed with ropes, much like the ones that had been used on him in the graveyard not long ago. Unable to get free he was at his uncle's mercy, who seemed intent on beating the life out of him.

Harry awoke to the darkness, his body covered in a sheen of sweat. Unaware of his surroundings after all the locations he had been in that day, it took him a few moments to realize where he was.

He glanced over at Ron, who was snoring gently on the other side of the room, and was flooded with relief.

He was safe here. His uncle couldn't hurt him anymore.

Just when Harry was feeling calm enough to try going back to sleep again, the door to their room suddenly opened. For a moment, Harry feared that his uncle had somehow found a way to get him, but then he recognized the person that had entered the room.

From the dim light of the hallway, he saw Mr. Weasley come into the room and quietly pull something from his pocket. Placing the objects on the floor at the foot of Harry's bed, he softly cast a spell to enlarge them. He then turned around quietly, not realizing Harry was awake watching him, and left the room.

As soon as the door clicked into place, Harry leaped off the bed to discover that Ron's father had managed to retrieve his things from the Dursleys. His trunk and Hedwig's cage lay beside one another.

He opened the trunk and blindly felt around in the dark through the contents. He pushed aside the clothes that had neatly been laid on top until his fingers found what he was looking for- his invisibility cloak and his album.

Relieved that these things had been located and returned to him, Harry crawled back into bed. He had to make sure to thank the man again in the morning for all he had done for him. He didn't know how he was ever going to repay the kindness this family had bestowed upon him, but he would never stop trying.

* * *

"Things didn't go well?" Molly asked, seeing her husband returning from upstairs. 

"Not at all. I swear I have never met such a horrible family in all my life. You should have heard the things that Harry's aunt said about him," replied Arthur as he joined his wife at the table.

"She was home?" she asked.

Arthur nodded and proceeded to tell her about their awful conversation. "But I don't even think that's the worst part of the whole night. Something I saw has left me feeling pretty shaken."

"What is it, dear?" asked Molly, taking her husband's hand in her own.

"I investigated the cupboard that they used to keep him in and it was just awful. Very cramped and dirty. No child should ever be placed in such living conditions. And do you know what I found?"

"What?" asked Molly, holding her breath fearfully.

"A tiny picture done in crayon on the wall. I think it was supposed to be a picture of his parents and him holding hands. Harry must have drawn it when he was very little. It was right over his bed and as probably the last thing he saw every night. It was kind of tucked into the corner and I don't think the Dursleys even know that it's there. Harry probably would have gotten in a lot trouble for drawing on the wall like that."

"Arthur, that's so sad… for a boy to be so lost and lonely that the only comfort he had was a simple drawing," she whispered. "What did those people do to him?"

"I don't know Molly, but we're going to make it up to him," said Arthur.

Both adults stood up and embraced one another lovingly. They cared deeply for all their children and couldn't imagine what drove someone to treat another so cruelly. They pulled each other closer so that the hug was almost bone crushing silently promising to love that boy as their own.

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This whole multi-perspective thing is still pretty experimental for me, so I'm still working out the kinks in my writing. I don't even know how I did with Petunia or Arthur's characterization. Let me know your thoughts in a review!. 

**Many thanks to all my reviewers and readers!**


	9. What He'll Sorely Miss

A/N: Just so there is no confusion, this chapter takes place on the third day since this story began. I suddenly realized that the first eight chapters had been devoted to only two days of the summer and thought maybe I should clarify. The pace of the story will move much more quickly now over the course of the summer.

**Chapter 9- What He'll Sorely Miss**

"Goodbye, dear. Have a good day at work," said Molly tiredly as she cleared her husband's breakfast plate from the table. Unable to sleep any longer, she had risen early and decided to make scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast for her family. She just hoped that Harry and Ron would have a bit of a lie because they were only going to have porridge.

"Mmm… thanks," said Arthur, taking one last sip of his coffee. He kissed his wife goodbye and flooed to the Ministry of Magic. Normally he would just apparate there, but with the new wards surrounding the Burrow to maintain Harry's safety he would have had to walk a considerable distance from the house and he didn't want to be late.

Molly couldn't help but notice the dark circles under his eyes this morning. Neither of them had slept very well last night as they thought about had happened to Harry. She couldn't stop thinking about the crayon drawing Arthur had found in the cupboard under the stairs. It had nearly broke her heart when Arthur told her about it.

She just hoped that they could help the boy put his past behind him and lead a fuller life. She knew full well what Voldemort's return meant for them all, but she was going to do everything in her power to see that Harry and her children were as unaffected as possible with the coming war.

There was a shrill shriek from upstairs suddenly and Molly was broken from her thoughts. She knew from years of experience that something was probably going on. So she waited patiently in the kitchen for her children to find her, like they always did.

"Mum!" Ginny screamed, running down the stairs.

Her only daughter skidded into the kitchen and ran up to her mother, looking very distraught. A hand was covering her mouth like she didn't want anybody do see something.

"What's wrong?" Molly asked calm in voice, flattening her daughter's hair lovingly.

Behind her hand she mumbled, "Fred and George have been messing with our stuff again."

"Fred, George, get down here this instant!" she yelled upstairs. The sooner she dealt with them the better. "Well, it can't be that bad. Let me see…" Molly said, gently pulling her hand away. She knew from her daughter's behavior that something was obviously wrong with her mouth.

"No! I'm hideous…" Ginny whined, covering her mouth with her other hand now. She was apparently mortified by whatever had just happened, so much so that she wasn't even thinking rationally.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley… let me see your mouth or I can't help you!" Molly yelled.

Ginny brought her hand down and opened her mouth in a sort of sickly grimacing smile. Without a doubt the twins had struck again. Molly turned Ginny's face left and right in her hands as she peered inside trying to determine what had happened.

"Oh dear…" Molly tried to hide her amusement at seeing her daughter's mouth, teeth, and lips in a hideous shade of green, but she couldn't help smirking a little. As horrible as it was, it was also very comical.

"Mum! Don't laugh! It's not funny!" Ginny complained.

"I'm sorry, you're right. Where's your brothers?" she asked curiously.

"Right behind you," said George. "Aw… you look pretty, Gin-gin."

"Shut up! You're horrible! The both of you!" she yelled, covering her mouth once again.

Molly turned to find the twins smiling gaily. "What did you do to your sister?"

"Hey, it's not our fault-" started Fred.

"-that she used our trick toothpaste," finished George. They nodded in agreement and crossed their arms over their chests creating a united front.

Ginny looked like she was ready to kill them. "How was I supposed to know? It was the only tube in the bathroom!" she screeched.

"Then I suggest that you be more careful! There's not telling what will happen when we're around…" Fred said, placing a hand on her shoulder in mock comfort.

Ginny scowled loudly as she shook off his hand. "I am _so_ going to kill you if this doesn't go away. Mum, _do_ something!" she whined.

"Why did you do this to your sister?" Molly repeated, rounding in on her boys.

"Well, we didn't know if she would take the bait or not, but we're certainly glad that she did," said Fred, with a pleased look on his face.

George nodded in agreement again. "We haven't been able to find a suitable test subject yet. Besides, we thought she might want to look nice for Harry."

"Oh… yes… he's _so_ dreamy…" added Fred, batting his eyes dramatically and clasping his hands together by his chest as if he had just fallen in love.

Ginny hated being teased about her long time crush on Harry, and she looked as if she were about to burst out in tears. Beneath the hand covering her mouth Molly could see her chin beginning to tremble like she might cry.

"That's enough. I won't allow you to humiliate members of your own family. Now turn Ginny's mouth back to normal this instant!" Molly yelled.

"Sorry, we can't do that-"

"Since we haven't been able to test the product, we weren't able to work out an antidote yet."

"What!" Ginny screamed, her hand dropping from her mouth to reveal her tainted green lips. The twins smiled in appreciation over their handy work.

"Don't worry little sis. It should wear off in an hour or so," said George.

Ginny's eyes began to get a bit glossy and Molly put an arm around her shoulders to calm her down. "Mum! Do something! I don't want anyone to see me like this!" she pleaded.

By anyone, Molly knew that she meant Harry. "Well, open up. I'll see what I can do…" she said, retrieving her wand from her pocket. "Scourgify!" After that particular spell failed, she tried several other cleaning and banishing charms on Ginny's poor mouth, but nothing seemed to work.

"I'm sorry, honey. I can't think of any other spells that might work. I guess that we're just going to have to allow it to wear off," she said gently.

Ginny looked absolutely crestfallen. She knew that if it weren't for Harry being here, that she would have been able to handle the situation a lot better. After all, the twins had been pulling these kind of stunts on the family for years. She was used to their antics by now, but Ginny seemed unable to cope at the moment. Molly wasn't so old that she didn't remember what it was like to have a crush, and how hard one had to work to get the object of their obsession to notice him or her.

Molly hoped that Ginny would begin to explore her other options once she realized Harry wasn't truly interested. She just prayed that she would be understanding of the reasons why.

Seeing the forlorn look on her daughter's face, Molly confronted Fred and George. "You should be ashamed of yourselves! I don't understand you two. Why can't you be more like your older brothers? I never had these types of problems with them."

"Yes, but you also never had as much fun," Fred retorted, a grin still plastered on his face.

Molly had to admit, life with the twins around was a bit more interesting. And in dark times like these they could all do with some laughter now and then. She just hated when that laughter was at another's expense.

"I'm ashamed of you both! How could you do this to her? You know how she gets around…" she continued

"Mum… stop it… I don't like him like _that_ anymore…" Ginny tried to say, but the tone in her voice gave away the fact that it wasn't entirely true.

"Yeah, right." said George. "And I'm the Minister of Magic." Ginny shot a death glare at him before looking away again.

"And don't think that you're going to get off without punishment," said Molly, placing her hands on her hips for emphasis.

"Aw, Mum…" George whined, no longer looking as happy over pulling off the prank as he once did.

"Don't you start that! You and your brother are on garden duty for the next two weeks. You are also going to be responsible for cleaning the bathroom and washing the dishes as well."

"That's not fair!" George yelled.

"Aren't you being a bit harsh?" asked Fred.

"Would you like me to add more?"

"No," they both said resolutely, bowing their heads.

"Now apologize to your sister this instant," she prompted.

"Sorry, Ginny," they said unison, sounding a bit more remorseful than they were before.

Ginny was still fuming and refused to even acknowledge their apology. She sat down at the kitchen table heavily and buried her head in her arms sadly. Fred and George sat beside her and watched their sister, slowly beginning to realize how much they had upset her.

"And don't you dare pulling any pranks on Harry? Do you hear me? That boy has been through enough!" Molly stated firmly.

"What's going on anyway?" asked George. "Why is he here?"

"Are Ron and Harry up yet?" she asked suddenly.

"I don't think so," Ginny replied, looking up at her mother from her arms.

Molly sighed heavily and decided to explain a bit about what had brought about Harry's sudden presence as she served them up their breakfast. Ginny and the twins munched on their morning meal and listened quietly to their mother, who was talking in a very hushed voice. Their eyes were wide with wonder as they listened to the horrific tale and for a brief few moments nobody said a word- a rarity in that household.

Molly had only explained about the car accident Harry was in and how Order had to rescue him from the hospital. She explained that he had several injuries that had been healed, but that he was going to be a bit under the weather of a while. She conveniently left out the details surrounding the Dursley's treatment of Harry. There were some things no child should ever hear about their friend.

She also left out the fact that charges had been filed against Vernon Dursley by Social Services on Harry's behalf. The impending case was something the Order was still at a loss about handling. With any other person, the matter could be taken care of discreetly. But with Harry being who he was, a million factors suddenly came into play.

"So is Harry going to be alright?" asked Ginny, breaking the silence. Her mouth and lips were slowly returning to normal, but it looked like it would take much longer than an hour for the prank to wear off completely.

"Yes, he's going to be just fine… now that he's here with us at the Burrow," she replied.

"So Harry is staying indefinitely?" asked George, polishing off his eggs.

"He can stay as long as he wants as far as I'm concerned. We're trying to make the arrangement permanent."

Molly desperately wished to adopt the boy and give him a proper home, but there was Sirius to consider- not that she cared for the man being that he was so irresponsible at times- and the Ministry as well, who may object to Harry's current living situation. Arthur wasn't exactly favored at the Ministry because of his allegiance to Albus Dumbledore.

Then again Molly didn't want to officially adopt the lad when she suspected there was something going on with him and her son. This situation was very complicated to say the least.

"Now promise me you three aren't going to pester him with endless questions."

"Yes, Mum," the three replied.

"Good. Now if you're done with breakfast, why don't you get started on your chores?" she suggested. She was hoping to get them out of the kitchen as soon as possible so that she could clear up their meal before Ron saw.

"Mum… do we have to?" Ginny whined.

Molly sighed heavily. She just realized that Ginny was scheduled to clean out the chicken coop, a messy job that everyone hated doing. She should have given the job to the twins as punishment, but she had already set the penalties for their actions into place. Being a mother of seven she knew better than to go back on her word or change a punishment- there's no telling the manipulation and retaliation that would take place if she ever let that happen. Consistency was the key.

"Yes, now go."

Ginny let out a frustrated groan and headed out doors. The twins helped their mother banish all the evidence of their breakfast to the kitchen sink. She relieved them of dish duty, for the morning only, and spelled the plates to begin to wash themselves. She then sent them outdoors to de-gnome and weed the garden.

A still sleepy Ron and Harry soon came down stairs and joined her in the kitchen. Harry had finally had the chance to shower and he was looking much better than he had yesterday. The two of them looked oddly cute in their worn pairs of jeans and t-shirts, and they both sported a head full of messy hair, neither one taking the time or care to comb it before coming down stairs. They took a seat across from one another wordlessly. She set down a bowl of porridge in front of each of them and handed Harry his nutritional potion.

"Good morning," she said cheerfully.

"Porridge? But I thought I smelt bacon!" Ron complained.

"Nope, there's only porridge. How odd…" Molly muttered, hoping that he wouldn't pursue the matter further.

It was only by pure luck that she managed to prepare two separate meals this morning. She certainly wouldn't be able to do that every day for all three meals, and she just hoped that her children didn't complain too much about the bland diet they were all going to start eating. It wasn't going to be too drastic of a change. She would still prepare some of the foods that she normally would, but the ingredients would be altered slightly so that it would be easier on Harry's delicate system. She was going to do her best to keep Harry's condition a secret from them all.

"What's that?" asked Ron, pointing to the blue vial of potion Harry had just swallowed down.

"Just a healing potion Madam Pomfrey prescribed Harry to take for awhile," she told her son.

"But I thought he was already healed…" he wondered aloud.

"Well, she insisted that he take it everyday and it wasn't really my place to argue. You know how she can be…" Molly added.

Ron nodded as if he understood and dived into his warm cereal. The whole family had been treated in some form or another over the years by the school nurse, and it was no secret how pushy and stubborn the woman could be; even more so than his mother.

"This is really good, thanks," said Harry softly. It looked like he was doing his best to each as much as he could.

"No problem, dear. Did you sleep well?" she asked.

Harry nodded but didn't say anything else. She wondered if the poor boy had had another nightmare, but didn't dare ask aloud. She didn't want to embarrass him in front of Ron. Instead, she softly stroked his hair and then gave him a bit of a squeeze around his shoulders to let him know that she was there for him.

Molly couldn't help but notice that he had stiffened at her affection, and her heart felt like it was breaking all over again. He really had been deprived of so much more than just food and proper clothing while living with the Dursleys… he had been deprived of love as well.

She silently hoped that Harry would find love here in whatever form it may take.

* * *

As grateful as he was to be there Harry had a harder time adjusting to being at the Burrow than he had expected. He had stayed with the Weasleys for a short time in the past, so he knew what to expect, but he had to adjust nonetheless. It was little things really, but they were enough to make him feel uncomfortable. 

The noise level was the most apparent difference. Harry was used to being ignored and even when he was allowed to take meals with the Dursleys it was always a quiet affair. He never spoke unless spoken too. The Burrow was the complete polar opposite of the house on Privet Drive during meal times. He had almost forgotten how boisterous this family could be when he first sat down for dinner that evening. With only seven them eating together that night it was amazing that dinner was as loud as it was. Various conversations were bouncing all around the table and anyone could add in their two cents if they wanted to. Harry joined in on a few conversations so that he didn't appear rude, but mainly he sat back and listened as he picked at his food.

Another thing that took some getting used to was all the time he had on his hands now. He was used to working long hours everyday, and when he wasn't working he was usually doing chores for the Dursleys. It was rare that he ever had a moment to himself, and when he did he almost inevitably fell asleep because he was so exhausted. This new found freedom at the Burrow was a tad disconcerting. He had offered to help Mrs. Weasley out with something when he saw the other Weasley children doing their chores, but she adamantly refused.

Having nothing else to do, Harry spent most of that first day at the Burrow working on his summer homework assignments. He needed to get caught up anyway seeing that he hadn't had much time to do them yet this summer. He and Ron had also played several games of chess, but one can only play so much chess at any one time, especially when they were hardly speaking.

That tension he felt with Ron yesterday was back in full force as well. They didn't seem to know how to talk to each other anymore and it bothered Harry more than words can say. Most of their chess games that first day were played in relative silence.

So many things were still left unsaid and Harry was at a loss as to how to bridge the gap that had suddenly appeared between them. He couldn't stop thinking about what Ron had said to him yesterday before they went to bed.

"_Harry? Is there something you're not telling me? Because I get this feeling that there's more going on that you're leaving out… I would understand you know."_

Would he really understand? Could Harry tell him all his awful secrets? Could he possibly understand all the confusing emotions that were swirling up inside of Harry whenever they sat close to one another?

Harry was almost thankful when it was finally time to go to bed because it meant that he and Ron didn't have to worry about how to act around each other. But he was kind of afraid to go to sleep after all the dreams he had been having recently. In the last two days he had already dreamt about the accident and then had nightmares about his uncle coming after him. What would he dream about next?

"Goodnight," Ron said, after turning out the lights and climbing into bed.

"'Night," Harry replied, snuggling down deeper into the warm bedding. He was surprisingly tired that night and soon found himself sleeping restlessly.

"_Kill the Spare!" A flash of green light filled his vision and Harry knew instantly that the boy beside him was dead._

"_Nooo…." He screamed as Cedric's lifeless body hit the ground. "Not again! I didn't mean for this to happen… I told him that we should take the cup together…"_

_He began to thrash about as Wormtail seized him and dragged him to the ominous tombstone. Soon ropes were wrapped tightly around his body and Harry struggled to breathe normally._

"Harry! Harry wake up it's just a dream!"

Harry bolted awake and moved away from the loud voice, thinking that he must have woken up his aunt or uncle again with his screams. "I'm s-sorry," he muttered, expecting to be slapped or something.

"Are you alright?" asked Ron, kneeling beside Harry's bed and looking at him intently.

There was a small amount of light from the moon coming through the window and he could just make out Ron's face in the darkness without his glasses on. Harry sighed in relief when he realized he was in Ron's bedroom at the Burrow, and not at the Dursleys. He wondered when he would realize that he wasn't going back there ever again. "I'm f-fine. Sorry I woke you."

"It's no problem. I don't mind. I'm just worried about you," Ron whispered.

"Why do you s-say that?" Harry asked, not bothering to lift his head from his pillow. Guilt and sadness were still permeating his soul after reliving that horrific night of the third task yet again. He was trying to appear as if nothing were wrong as Ron kneeled beside him, but he felt like he was failing horribly.

"Because of everything that has happened to you over the last few days… and for what happened last year…" his friend said softly.

Ron was much more perceptive than he ever gave him credit for. Harry looked away and focused on a spot on the wall, concentrating on getting his emotions under control. The dream was still fresh in his mind, and the incident had happened only a couple of months ago. With everything else that had happened recently, Harry found that his emotions were closer to the surface then he would like them to be.

"You were dreaming about the third task, weren't you?" he asked.

Harry nodded and breathed in and out deeply, desperately trying to quell the rising howl of misery in his chest. He was so embarrassed that everything was affecting him so deeply. He normally tried to be strong in front of his friends so that they wouldn't worry, but too much had happened in too short of a time, and he couldn't suppress what he was feeling any longer.

He breathed again deeply, but it wasn't helping. A single tear escaped his eyes and coursed its way down his cheek. Ron reached out like he wanted to wipe it away, but retracted his hand like he was unsure of what to do. Harry wished that he would just look away or go back to bed and leave him alone. His emotions were on overload and he was afraid he might say something he would regret later.

Harry could feel Ron watching him and wondered what he must think of him. He hastily wiped the stupid tear away in embarrassment and stole at pitiful look at his friend. In doing so he saw something in Ron's eyes that he had never seen before. He didn't even know how to describe it, but something was definitely different between them. It was almost as if they were both staring at one another hoping the other felt the same thing, but that they were both too afraid to say anything.

Just when he thought something might happen, Ron rose from his position on the floor, and Harry figured he had probably decided to go back to bed. He should have known that Ron didn't feel the same as him. But instead Ron did something he had never done before. He sat down beside Harry on the bed, reached out his arms, and pulled Harry into a hug.

At first Harry was completely alarmed and had to fight the urge not to pull way, which had become instinctive by now. He breathed in the red head's warm scent and tried to get his emotions back under control. A part of Harry desperately wanted this hug to mean more, so he leaned into his embrace thinking that it felt rather nice. But he couldn't bring himself to wrap his arms around him as much as he wanted to. The only person who had ever held him like this was Ron's mother, but somehow when Ron hugged him it was completely different.

Harry could feel the heat of Ron's body passing through their thin pajamas. His friend finally pulled back slightly, and Harry immediately missed his warmth.

"Are you okay?" Ron asked, studying his face.

"Yeah," Harry replied, not willing to meet his gaze.

He expected Ron to go back to bed now, thinking he had helped his poor pitiful friend somehow, but instead he lay down beside him a short distance away. Harry could feel Ron curl his arm under his head on the pillow, the other hand was still loosely gripping Harry's arm in comfort. He wondered what he was doing laying beside him, but decided not to protest it. This was starting to be too good to be true.

"What was your dream about?" Ron whispered in the darkness.

It was probably better that Harry couldn't really see him right now; it would make this situation ever more awkward than it already was.

"I really d-don't w-want to ta-lk about it…" Harry tried to say, but his tongue was feeling useless right now. He was so nervous about this closeness with Ron that he didn't know how to act. It didn't help that he was already distraught over the dream either.

"When did you start stuttering?" Ron asked jokingly.

"S-sorry. I used to stutter a lot when I w-was younger… I thought I had got-ten over it…" he muttered, feeling overwhelmingly embarrassed. Usually he only stuttered around his relatives, but for some reason Ron was making him feel even more unsure about himself than normal.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make fun of you. It's really no big deal," Ron tried to reassure him. "So tell me about this dream."

Harry sighed heavily and pressed his face into his pillow trying to determine if he wanted to tell Ron what happened last year or not. It was impossible for him to explain the dream and not tell him anything else. But was it right to burden his friend with what had happened? He took another calming breath trying to think clearly.

"Harry?" Ron whispered, sounding concerned.

"It wasn't r-really a dream or a nightmare… it was more of a memory…" Harry began. He figured after all Ron and his family had done for him, he owed him at least this explanation.

"About the third task…" Ron said knowingly. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Harry sighed deeply knowing that he would probably inevitably tell Ron everything. "N-not really. But you and Hermione were so patient with me at the end of the year by not asking questions… and well, you probably deserve to know."

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, Harry," Ron tried to tell him, squeezing his arm reassuringly.

"No, it's okay… I guess you know what happened in the maze and that the cup was a portkey, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, the p-portkey took us to a graveyard… where…." He stopped for a moment and tried to think about what he wanted to say.

"Harry, it's okay, you don't…" Ron said softly, rubbing his arm. As much as Harry liked Ron touching him like this, the sensation wasn't helping any. If anything, Ron was making it only worse for him to think straight right now, but he certainly didn't want him to take his hand away either. It was all very confusing.

"No, I think I need to. When we got to the graveyard, I felt this searing pain in my forehead. I couldn't even see straight it hurt so badly. I fell to my knees and before I knew what was happening… a man… a man in a black cloak appeared carrying a bundle of something. A voice said k-kill the spare… and he whipped out his wand and p-performed the killing curse on Cedric…" Harry explained, his voice breaking occasionally. His eyes began to gloss over again as he thought about the murder he witnessed, but Harry held back the tears, blinking repeatedly to dry his eyes.

"It happened that fast?" Ron asked in amazement.

"Yeah."

"Who was it?"

"Wormtail," Harry replied, disdain dripping from his lips as he said the name of the man who had caused so much pain in his life. First he set up his parents and framed Sirius, and then he killed Cedric and brought Voldemort back.

"I'm so sorry… if I had known he was Scabbers all that time…" Ron said tearfully.

"Don't…" Harry said. "You didn't know…"

"I know but still… I used to feed him and he shared my bed! Ew!" Ron exclaimed.

Harry nodded in disgust, knowing how broken up Ron and been after their third year when he learned his beloved pet had been an animagus in disguise. He was quiet in thought for a few moments, until Ron broke the silence again.

"Harry? What happened next?" he asked.

"I could barely walk my head hurt so bad… and my leg was injured from the m-maze…so he d-dragged me over to a tombstone and con-jured r-ropes to tie me to it."

"Oh gods…" Ron muttered, apparently horrified at the turn Harry's story was taking.

"That's not the worst of it. The n-name on the tombstone was Tom Riddle…"

"You-Know-Who has a grave?" Ron asked in shock. "I thought they never found a body."

"No it wasn't his. His Muggle father had the same name. I couldn't m-move or anything and he took my wand. I had to watch as Wormtail brewed a potion in a huge cauldron. The bundle he was carrying earlier turned out to be Voldemort. He looked like some sort of baby and his skin was all red and scaly and his face was flat snakelike… I really d-don't understand why he looked like that or how he was still alive…He put him in the cauldron and I kept silently praying that it would somehow drown…" Harry was forcing himself to talk slowly and he concentrated on each word so that he wouldn't stutter like he had been taught.

"What happened?" asked Ron. His tone of voice revealed how curious he was to know what happened next, but also how fearful he was as well.

"Wormtail used a weird spell to resurrect his master. He took the b-bone of his father, which was really just dust by now, straight out of the ground through his grave. Then he took blood from my arm…" he said pointing to the crook of his arm, "and then he cut off his right hand… and added it all to the cauldron…"

Ron makes a sound like he's going to be sick. "Ugh… that's so gross!" he said referring to Wormtail's self mutilation. Then he softly whispered, "I didn't know he used your blood…"

"Yeah, my blood…the blood of his enemy…Voldemort was brought back because of me…" he responded sadly.

"Harry don't say that… it's not your fault that any of that happened…"

"Yes it is! It's all my fault! Voldemort is back and Cedric is dead. I t-told him to take the cup!" Harry said more forcefully, trying to make Ron understand.

"Harry, don't do this to yourself…" Ron whispered, pulling him closer. Harry rested his head in the space between Ron's head and shoulder for a short while, but pulled back when he felt like he might be intruding on Ron's space.

Harry continued his horrific memory without any prompting. "He can t-touch me now, you know… He used my blood so my mother's protection can no longer protect me… like it did with Quirrell…"

He knew Ron would understand what he meant by that. During their first year at Hogwarts, when they went in search of the Philosopher's Stone, Harry tried to defend himself from Professor Quirrell when he was attacked. Voldemort had been possessing Quirrell for some time then, and lashed out at Harry the first chance he got. Harry had been utterly amazed to find out that Voldemort couldn't even touch him. The man had literally been burned the second he touched Harry's skin and eventually had disintegrated into dust.

"Then he called the other Death Eaters by pressing on the Dark Mark on Wormtail's arm. While he was waiting for the others to arrive, he told me that he k-killed his own Muggle father. I guess his father found out that his mother was a witch and left her before he was even born, leaving him in an orphanage when his mother died giving birth."

"Why did he tell you all that?" Ron asked.

"Probably because he thought I would die at his hands that night and that all of this information would d-die with me…" Harry said sadly.

"So You-Know-Who is a half-blood? Then why is he so hell bent on destroying all the Muggleborns and half-bloods. That doesn't make any sense!" Ron argued.

"I don't know. Maybe he was so upset that his Muggle father had rejected him that he held at grudge against all Muggles…"

Ron seemed to contemplate this information a little longer. Harry decided to skip the part where Voldemort recounted how he was foiled by Harry of the years since Ron knew all of that. He also skipped the part where Voldemort revealed how he had killed Bertha Jorkins when he needed information. It was just one more death that Harry had on his shoulders and Ron just wouldn't understand why he felt guilty about that one too.

"The other Death Eaters finally apparated in…and then he… then he…"

"What?" Ron asked fearfully.

"He t-tortured me…" Harry revealed.

"With the Cruciatus Curse? You never told me that!" Ron exclaimed.

"Yeah… it's worse than they say… then he gave Wormtail a silver hand to replace the one he lost, and told him to untie me and give me back my wand?"

"What? Why would he do that?"

"He wanted to duel against me to prove that he was still a powerful wizard in front of his minions and that I was really just a w-weak insignificant little kid. They made a large circle around us so I couldn't escape. He tortured me again and tried to make me to beg him to stop under the Imperius curse, but I was able to shake it off."

Ron was shaking his head in amazement by now that his friend had survived all of that.

"I knew that I p-probably wouldn't get out of there alive so I decided to die fighting like my parents did. Voldemort cast the killing curse at me and I did the only thing I could think of at the time…"

"What?" asked Ron, sounding completely enthralled with every detail of his story.

"I cast a disarming curse…"

"But the only one you know is Expelliarmus…" he said thoughtfully. "Surely that didn't stop him…"

"It probably wouldn't have, but… Ron d-don't freak out or anything…" Harry began, hoping that Ron would understand that it wasn't his fault that he had so many things in common with the Dark Lord. "My wand and Voldemort's wand are brothers. Ollivander told me when I bought my wand before our first year. We each share a phoenix feather as the core… a feather taken from Fawkes…."

"Are you serious? What happened next?"

"Well, the light from our wands met in midair. We were surrounded by a golden, dome-shaped web of light, and the Death Eaters backed away. I heard something that sounded like phoenix music, whispering to me not to break the connection. My hands were weak and shaking like mad, but I held on tight. There was this bead of light traveling back and forth between us and I concentrated on forcing the bead of light towards Voldemort. It finally reached the tip of Voldemort's wand, and something really weird happened. A shadow of a hand came out of the tip of the tip of the wand, and then the images of Cedric, an old Muggle, then Bertha Jorkins… and then my p-parents…."

"Why did that happen?" Ron asked.

"Dumbledore told me that when our wands were connected that a Priori Incantatem was created. It's a spell that forces that wand to reveal all the curses that has come from it in reverse."

"Oh. Was that the same spell they used on your wand at the Quidditch World Cup?"

"Yeah. Then the shadows began to crowd around me, telling me to hold on. My Mum… my Mum told me that once I let go, they would linger long enough to give me time to touch the portkey and return to Hogwarts… And then Cedric asked me to take his b-body back to his parents."

Ron took a deep breath, probably remembering Cedric's body from that night.

"I finally pulled my wand away from the connection and the light dome disappeared. The shadows of my parents and the others closed in upon Voldemort while I ran to grab Cedric. I summoned the Triwizard Cup and portkeyed away just as Voldemort was about to attack me again..."

"Oh my god…I had no idea," Ron said, squeezing his arm again. "I can't believe you actually saw your parents?"

"I know… Dumbledore said they weren't really ghosts… more like echoes or shadows of who they used to be… but it was kind of nice to talk to them… in a way…"

Ron nodded in understanding, knowing that Harry had no real memory of ever interacting with his parents.

"The portkey brought me straight back to Hogwarts," Harry finished.

"I know," said Ron.

"And I think you know what happened to me next, right?" he asked. He was eluding to the fact that Barty Crouch Jr., who had apparently been impersonating Professor Moody all year, tried to kill him when he learned he had survived his encounter with his master. After all his hard work of putting Harry's name in the cup and making sure he made it the final task of the tournament, he was very upset that Harry hadn't died.

"Yeah, I overheard Mum and Sirius talking about when you were in the infirmary." Ron let out a frustrated scowl as he thought about all that Harry had whispered, "I'm sorry you went through all that Harry. It must have been truly awful. Did you think you were going to die?"

Harry snorted at the comment. Ron certainly had a way with words. "Yeah… I still can't believe I survived again..."

"I thought you had died," Ron added softly.

"You did. Why?"

"When you came back and were lying face down on the ground… I didn't know what to think… You had been gone for so long and I was going bloody mad with worry… and then I heard the crowd yelling "he's dead" over and over. I thought they meant you…" Ron said with a sniffle. "Hermione had to explain to me that they meant Cedric."

Harry didn't say anything, realizing how awful it must have been for Ron thinking that he had died. Harry knew that he couldn't bear it if anything had happened to him, and he wondered if Ron shared the same kind of feelings for him.

"I know you had a rough time Harry… but you have no idea how upset I was that you were missing… I don't know what I would've done if something had happened to you…I would really miss you…"

"I would m-miss you too…" Harry said, hoping that he would understand.

If it was possible Harry could swear that he could hear Ron smiling in the darkness.

Ron pulled him a little closer, their faces just mere inches away from one another. Harry so badly wanted to reach out and kiss him, but he didn't know how to go about doing any of that and he wasn't so sure that Ron would appreciate the gesture. Neither one of them had ever kissed a girl before, and certainly not another boy. Could Ron like him like that? He had said that he would miss Harry, but that didn't necessarily mean that he would want to be in a relationship with him.

Realizing that they had been both staring at one another in the darkness, holding onto each other awkwardly, they both pulled back. Neither one seemed brave enough to act on their feelings, even though the tension between them had grown considerably.

"Thanks, Harry, for telling me all of that… I know it was hard…"

"Thanks for listening…" he whispered.

"No problem… Do you think you'll be able to get back to sleep?" Ron asked.

"Probably, but don't be surprised if I wake you up again… I've been dreaming a lot more lately…"

"Do you want me to stay with you?"

"Huh?" Harry asked, completely confused now.

Ron pulled his hand away and picked at the buttons on his pajama top. "Um… do you want me to stay with you… you know like sleep next to each other… not like you know, but…. that's what we used to do when we were kids and had a nightmare… crawl in bed with someone else… it helps keep the monsters away…"

"But we aren't kids anymore," Harry insisted.

"I know that," said Ron, looking perfectly content to stay exactly where he was for the night.

He yawned loudly and snuggled up next to Harry like it was no big deal and made an effort to go to sleep. Harry did the same, but had a hard time trying to figure out what his best mate was doing in his bed. He no longer had his arms around him, but the sheer closeness was enough to make Harry constantly aware of his presence. Was he really just trying to provide comfort or was it something more?

They both lay very still for the rest of the night for fear that the other might awaken in the middle of the night and realize what they are doing.

For a long while, Harry thought about what Ron had said about missing him. It made him think back to the second task when the champions had to open a mysterious shell underwater to learn clues about what they would have to do during their task. The shrill mermaid like voices had said:

_Come seek us where our voices sound,_

_We can not sing above the ground,_

_And while you're searching ponder this,_

_We've taken what you'll sorely miss,_

_An hour long you'll have to look,_

_And to recover what we took,_

_But past an hour --- the prospect's black,_

_Too late it's gone it won't come back._

He didn't think much of the meaning behind it all at the time, but now he wondered if there wasn't more to it than that. Was it possible that they had known the reasons why Ron would be the one who he would sorely miss above all others? Could they possibly have known that he was falling in love?

* * *

A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you liked this chapter. I know that retelling the events of GoF was probably a little redundant for all of us, but I wanted to write a scene where Harry explained it to Ron from his point of view… who was really hearing it for the first time. And I know you're all yelling at the computer screens that they didn't kiss… but trust me, it's not time yet. They're both really young and inexperienced in this story. It would be too weird for either one to make a move on their best friend yet. Right now everything is really innocent. I have a scene planned that will help break the ice. Let me know what you thought of this chapter in a review. 

A/N2: Just a reminder on the stuttering thing. I explained in an earlier chapter that Harry stuttered as a kid, but that a speech therapist in his Muggle School had taught him ways to overcome it. He mostly only stutters when he's scared, like around Vernon, but Ron makes him so nervous that it comes out sometimes. I know it's not necessarily true to canon, but I wanted to add this feature to his personality.

**Many thanks to all my reviewers! I love you guys!**


	10. Emotional Rollercoaster

A/N: I have been having some trouble getting my scene dividers to show up, so I'm apologizing in advance if this chapter is confusing to read. Just so you know, Ron's POV is first, but it will shift to Harry later in the chapter.

**Chapter 10- Emotional Rollercoaster**

Ron opened his eyes the next morning to find Harry's piercing green eyes watching him closely. Realizing too late that he had been caught staring at him, Harry quickly closed his eyes pretending to be asleep. Ron thought that it was sweet and smiled at him lovingly, watching as Harry's long black eyelashes fluttered against his cheek lightly.

At first, Ron had been a little startled to see his best friend lying so close to him, but then he remembered their late night conversation and how he proposed to sleep next to Harry to keep the nightmares away. That choice had seemed like a good idea late last night when they could barely see each other in the darkness. But in the bright light of morning, Ron was starting to wonder if he had done the right thing.

There was no way that he was going to discuss this weird turn of events with Harry. He decided he would wait to see how things played out, before he actually made any moves. He didn't want to be wrong about this sort of thing. If Harry didn't feel the same about him in return, Ron didn't want to do something that might ruin their friendship. He couldn't imagine his life without Harry in it, and he wasn't going to do anything to jeopardize that.

Ron stretched lazily to get out the kinks in his limbs from sleeping in one position all light. The orange Chudley Cannons sheet shifted slightly and he realized that sometime during the night he had decided to crawl under the covers beside Harry instead of just lying on top. Harry opened his eyes slowly; trying to pretend like the movement had just awakened him.

Ron pretended not to notice. "Did you even fall asleep last night?" Ron asked casually, like it was no big deal to wake up beside your best friend.

"Yeah, I actually slept pretty well for once… even though you we're hogging most of the bed," Harry said, smiling sheepishly.

Ron opened his mouth to scoff in defense. "Well the way I see it, I'm much taller and bigger than you so I deserve… at least two-thirds of the bed…"

"This bed is really small! That is _so_ not fair," Harry said yanking out the pillow beneath their heads and hitting Ron in the face with it. "And I can't help it if I'm short!"

"Too bad, so sad…" Ron stated, grabbing the pillow from Harry and whapping him over the head with it.

They started chuckling and pushing one another playfully. Ron was already teetering close to the edge of the bed so it didn't take much for Harry to push him off completely. The red head fell to the floor with a loud THUD.

"Oops, sorry!" Harry said looking down at him. A mischievous look crossed his face and he grabbed the forgotten pillow and hit Ron with it again.

"Hey, hey!" Ron shouted. "I give up!" He rose up off of the floor slowly and rubbed his backside. "Ow, ow… ow!"

"Sorry…" Harry said again, looking much more apologetic.

"You _should_ be sorry. You're going to pay for that later!" Ron said sarcastically, still rubbing his sore bum.

"Ron, is everything okay?" his mother called from the other side of his bedroom door, knocking on it softly. "I heard a loud noise…"

Ron looked at Harry in alarm, wondering if his mother could tell he had slept in Harry's bed all night just by looking at them. He darted over to his own bed and sat down quickly; ignoring the confused look Harry was giving him.

"Ron?" his Mum called again, when he hadn't answered. She opened the door to his room and peered inside. "Well, I see you're both alright. I must be hearing things…"

"No, that was me. I fell out of bed," Ron admitted finally.

"How did that happen?" asked Molly curiously.

"I don't know… I guess I got tangled up in my sheets…" Ron lied. Looking down at the bedding beneath him he realized his mistake. His sheets were lying neatly over the bed and it didn't look like they had been recently tangled around his legs.

Molly glanced at the bedding as well, but didn't comment on Ron's apparent lie. "Oh…well then, be down for breakfast soon, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah," Ron replied, rubbing at his still tired face. He hadn't really slept all that well, and found himself waking up several times last night thinking about what Harry had said.

As soon as she closed the door, Ron began to run his fingers through his hair and sighed deeply. That had been close. What would his mother think if she found out her son was lying in bed with another boy? He didn't even want to think about the conversation that would follow.

"Ron, what's wrong?" Harry asked, fidgeting with the cuffs of his pajamas.

"Huh?" he said lamely, looking up at his friend on the other bed. "Oh nothing."

Harry nodded slowly as if he were trying to understand something. He looked like he wanted to say something more, but shrugged his shoulders and began to gather his things to go take a shower. Ron couldn't help but think he had just hurt Harry's feelings by leaping across the room the minute his mother came to check on them. It wasn't as if they were doing anything wrong anyway, and he wasn't even sure why he had reacted like that.

Ron wanted to walk across the room and throw his arms around Harry and explain that he just overreacted, but even after last night he didn't think he had the right to. Things were definitely different between them, but Ron wasn't certain that they were ready for anything else. Hell, they didn't seem to talk about what was going on between them for that matter.

He watched as Harry quietly left the room, and then lay back on his bed thinking about things. He had mixed emotions about what Harry had revealed to him last night. Part of Ron was ecstatic that his friend and finally opened up to him, but another part of him kind of wished he didn't know all the details. Finding out the one you love had been tortured repeatedly, when there was nothing you could have done about it, doesn't exactly leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling.

Ron didn't understand why all of these things kept happening to Harry. It wasn't his fault that some evil wizard killed his parents and then tried to kill him. It wasn't his fault that he survived and became a hero. It wasn't his fault that his name was put in to the Goblet of Fire in their fourth year… Ron could finally see that now.

There was no end to the amount of shame he felt for treating Harry so badly last year. He had promised that he would never to do it again, and he meant it. And now here he was acting ashamed of the fact they had slept together, when he had practically spent the night with Harry in his arms. He definitely had to work on the signals he was sending Harry.

He got from his bed and decided to head down to breakfast since Harry was showering. He padded downstairs barefoot, stopping briefly outside the bathroom when he heard the sound of shower starting. He was worried he had somehow just ruined things with Harry, and he hated himself for letting Harry leave his room without saying anything. Ron wished he knew how Harry was feeling right now.

They were just starting to act like their old selves again, being goofy and teasing one another, and he didn't want things to go back how they were yesterday when they were all tense and quiet. Plus Ron had thoroughly enjoyed sleeping so close to his small friend and was kind of hoping on making it a habit this summer if Harry would let him. Ron was determined now to set things right. He wanted Harry to feel that Ron cared about him, even if he didn't have the courage to tell Harry so himself.

Ron made his way down to the kitchen to find his mother making porridge again, humming to herself. He turned his nose up in disgust and leaned beside the counter near his mum.

"Porridge, again?" he whined.

His mother ignored his comment and continued to hum the old Celtic song softly. She leaned over and kissed her son on the cheek and said, "Morning dear. How did you sleep?" she asked.

Ron turned bright red remembering that he had slept with Harry all night. "Alright I guess," he mumbled. "But what's with the porridge? Or the rest of our meals for that matter?"

"What's wrong with them?" she asked, seasoning the porridge with brown sugar and cinnamon.

"I don't know… I don't mean any offense Mum but they have all been kind of … blah!" Ron explained.

"Oh, really? I hadn't noticed…" she said softly. His mother had yet to look directly at him and he could sense from her body language that she was keeping something from him.

The more he thought about it the more he realized that these strange meals hadn't started occurring until Harry got here. "Does this have anything to do with Harry?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest as his mother placed five bowls of porridge at the table and then used a charm to keep them warm.

"What's that dear…" Molly said, now preparing some tea.

"Harry…does your new style of cooking have anything to do with Harry?" Ron asked again, realizing that his mother was purposely trying to avoid his questions.

His mother froze and looked straight at him for a moment. She then looked away quickly and said, "I don't know what you mean…"

"Yes you do… I can tell… what's going on with Harry? Is something wrong?" he asked worriedly, chewing on his bottom lip.

His mother set down the box of tea and turned to look him. "Nothing is wrong with Harry," she said firmly.

"Then why all the bland meals? And why does he have to take that potion before he eats anything? You said that you didn't know… that you knew better than to question Madam Pomfrey… but you know what it's for don't you?" he persisted.

"Yes, I do…" she finally admitted. She paused for a moment and stared at the counter lost in thought. "You're way too perceptive for a boy your age…" she said almost to herself. Turning toward her son she asked, "You know that the Dursleys didn't feed Harry really well, right?"

"I guess so, yeah. Last summer they tried putting his overweight whale of a cousin on a diet so Harry had to go on one too. But then again Harry _always_ came back to school looking so skinny…" Ron said. "That's part of the reason why I was so worried about him this summer. In the past we have always tried to send him sweets to help him out, but it never seemed like it was enough."

His mother nodded and said, "Well, from all of that… _extreme dieting_, let's call it… Harry's system isn't used to the amounts of foods he should normally eat. Madam Pomfrey thinks that it might do him some good to take a nutritional potion and eat some bland meals for a while until his stomach gets used to everything again," she explained.

Ron had no idea that Harry was suffering from such a condition and he hated the Dursleys for it. "That's awful! But… he never had a problem before. He always came back to Hogwarts and could eat large meals at the feasts and tons of sweets… but… but now that I think about it…. he always seemed kind of ill the next few days… Why didn't he tell me?" Ron asked.

"I don't know… maybe he was embarrassed…" she said softly. "Don't tell your brothers and sister, okay. Harry doesn't want anyone to know."

"Why? There's nothing to be ashamed of. It's not his fault that his screwy relatives made him go on some awful diet and practically starved him-" Ron cut himself off as he thought about what he had said. Harry had always been such a small, scrawny kid, even before their second year when the so called "dieting" had started taking place. Could something else be going on that Ron hadn't thought about?

"Mum, were they purposely starving him?" Ron asked, his voice sounding choked with emotion.

The sad look in his mother's eyes told him all that he needed to know. She shook her head to tell him not to say anything more as two pairs of footsteps came down the stairs.

"Good morning!" Fred and George said cheerfully to their mother, each kissing her on the cheek before taking a seat at the kitchen table. They had both showered and dressed by now, and looked down right hyper for it to be so early in the morning. It bothered Ron that they could both be so happy, when Harry was suffering so much. He sat down on the other side of the table trying to digest this bit of new information about his friend.

"Good morning," their mother replied. "Fred, would you like some tea?"

Fred looked up at her like he was appalled. "I'm not Fred, I'm George! Honestly woman-"

"Don't you even start! I won't fall for that little trick again. I think I know my own children," she scolded.

Fred and George smirked at one another and dove into their porridge as if it were the most delicious thing in the world. They didn't even seem to care or notice that their meals had been differently lately.

"Now would you like tea or not?" Molly asked again, her hands on her hips.

"I would… but I'll get it myself…" said Fred grabbing his wand from his back pocket and casting a levitation charm on the kettle to float from the stove to the table. Ron rolled his eyes at his brother's actions, and let himself get lost in thought again.

Molly grabbed the kettle by the handle out of the air and looked at Fred angrily. "Just because you're allowed to do magic outside of school now doesn't mean you have to use it all the time! What if you had spilt the hot water? Someone could have been burned! No tea for either one of you this morning."

"Aww… mum…" said Fred

"But I didn't do anything!" said George, throwing his hands up in the air as if to show he was unarmed.

"No… but I'm sure you would have if he hadn't," their mum said gesturing towards Fred. "You think too much alike."

"Great. I'm always guilty by association…" George mumbled.

Ginny soon came downstairs and joined them for breakfast without saying a word. As a general rule, their little sister was not a morning person. She preferred the mornings to be quiet, which didn't really exist in this household. Until she had her breakfast, she could be downright cranky as well. She must have gotten in the shower before Harry too, because she was already dressed for the day. Ron couldn't help but think that she had chosen her outfit to entice Harry. She was wearing a very revealing pair of denim shorts and an emerald green baby doll t-shirt that was rather flattering.

Ron ate quietly listening to the others chat. He didn't feel much like eating or talking for that matter. And he would have left the table if he weren't waiting for Harry to come downstairs. Ron was more worried now about him than ever. If the Dursleys had gone so far as to starve Harry, what else might they have done? Ron and Hermione had gotten into a conversation once about the possibility of the Dursleys abusing him, but they quickly squashed that notion thinking that Harry would have told them or something. They were best friends- the Golden Trio- didn't they share everything? Harry wouldn't keep something that big from them, would he?

Ron suddenly noticed that Harry had now appeared at the foot of the stairs and was watching them sadly. Ron couldn't really understand the look on Harry's face, but he didn't want him to have to look like that anymore. Wanting to set his friend at ease, Ron shot him a bright smile, even though he himself was feeling terrible inside. "Come eat, Harry. It's delicious…" Ron said, scooping up a spoonful of porridge and shoving into his mouth. Too bad this stuff didn't taste as good as he tried to make it sound.

"Okay," he said simply. He sat down beside Ron and accepted the mug from his mother, who had appeared at his side. Harry drank the contents down completely instead of sipping it, and Ron could only assume that the mug had contained his nutritional potion instead of hot tea. No one else seemed to notice.

"So what do you feel like doing today?" Ron asked him, trying to engage his friend in conversation, while they finished their breakfast.

Harry looked at him strangely, and Ron couldn't help but wonder if he was still hurt from this morning. "I don't really know. What do you want to do?"

"How about playing some Quidditch out the back?" suggested Ginny, speaking for the first time this morning.

"You play Quidditch?" Harry asked in disbelief.

"Uh-huh… my brothers would like you to believe that I'm not as good as them, but I've been playing just as long," Ginny said proudly. She took a long piece of red hair and twirled it around her finger, smiling coyly at Harry.

"Really? I had no idea…" Harry said, taking a small spoonful of porridge.

"Don't let her fool you, she isn't that great…" Ron muttered.

"I'm probably better than _you_. And besides, if Harry here wasn't our seeker, I might try out for the position," Ginny argued.

"Yeah, sure, whatever…" said Ron, glaring at his sister. She glared right back at him.

He knew what Ginny was trying to do, and it bothered Ron greatly. She had always liked Harry, and she was trying to impress him, hoping that he would finally notice her. And although Harry had never given her a second thought before, a small part of Ron felt like he was competing for Harry's heart. There was no way that Ginny could possibly understand Harry the way that Ron did, but that didn't mean he wasn't any less nervous about the possibility that Harry would choose Ginny over him. He could only hope that he was the only one that knew that there was even a competition.

He stole a look at Harry and saw that he was concentrating on eating now. He looked really cute with his hair still all wet and messy. Ron looked away quickly before he got caught and retuned to his thoughts.

And what did he really have to offer, anyway? He certainly wasn't as attractive as his sister was and he wasn't all that bright either. And he could be down right rude at times, even if he didn't mean to be. Ron knew his own faults better than anyone.

He stole another look at his friend and caught Harry looking at him as well. They both smiled as they quickly looked away again, realizing they both had been caught. Ron discovered then that he did have at least one thing he could offer Harry- Ron would always love him unconditionally.

The rest of the meal was a quiet affair. Ginny tried to engage Harry in a few conversations, but Harry didn't seem to want to give her more than a one or two word answer. The twins discussed their latest product, and Ron listened silently for a change, still thinking about his conversation with his mum earlier.

After breakfast Ron stayed behind to talk to his mother again while the others went upstairs. He hadn't had a turn yet in the shower and looked pretty silly still clad in his pajamas when everyone was already dressed, but he didn't care. He desperately wanted to know if what he had thinking about all morning was possibly true. He never did a get a straight answer.

He tried to question his mum again to see if Harry really had been starved like he had suspected, but she wouldn't answer his questions. He was frustrated that she was all but ignoring him as she went about cleaning the kitchen, and wondered if Harry had asked her not to say anything to him. In the end he gave up and asked, "So what are we going to do about Harry's birthday? It's the day after tomorrow."

"I'm so glad that you asked. I had some ideas…" she began, her eyes lighting up for the first time that day. They spent the rest of the morning planning a party for Harry that he would never forget.

* * *

Harry followed the others outside, thinking about what had happened this morning. He still was completely confused. He had woken up practically in Ron's arms and had felt like he was the luckiest guy in the world. Only to feel rejected just minutes later, when Ron leaped across the room to prevent his mother from knowing they had slept together. Harry thought he understood at the time, but now he felt incredibly embarrassed about the whole situation. Maybe he had misunderstood Ron's actions completely, and his friend had only offered him comfort out of pity over what happened to him at the end of term. 

And then at breakfast Ron was being incredibly sweet to him. Harry remembered how he had smiled at him when they both caught each other looking at one another. Harry didn't know what to make of the situation, but hoped that Ron didn't regret the intimacy they experienced last night.

Harry dragged his feet as they walked across the yard and dust was kicking up from the ground below. It hadn't rained in quite a few days now and the earth seemed parched. He squinted up against the harsh rays of the sun and saw that there wasn't even a cloud in sight. There was just blue sky for miles and miles, a rarity here in Britain. It was a scorching hot day, but that didn't seem to deter the youngest Weasley children from venturing outside to play their favorite sport, away from the coolness of the house.

Because of Mr. Weasley Harry had luckily gotten his broom back from the Dursleys so he had brought it outside with him. Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny retrieved some old brooms from the shed. Fred and George had their own since they played on the Gryffindor team, but Ron and Ginny had to use Charlie and Bill's old brooms from when they were in school. They weren't exactly the fastest brooms around, especially since they were bought second hand then, but they flew decently and they were good enough for playing a backyard game of Quidditch.

They all mounted their brooms and were soon flying through the air. The small breeze they felt as they flew provided some relief from the heat, but not really enough to feel satisfied.

The Weasley kids only owned a Quaffle and a couple of bats that they pinched from Madam Hooch's old supply closet. So the rest of the Quidditch equipment had be conjured from rocks they found on the ground. Fred and George tried their best, but their transfiguring wasn't up to par. They actually excelled best in Potions, of all subjects, because they found it useful in making their supplies for their joke business.

The bludgers closely resembled the real thing, but didn't work all that well. The snitch looked more like an acorn with butterfly wings. Harry found that he could catch it quite easily, but he didn't let on to the others. A few tree limbs on the large oak that stood in the middle of the yard served as the goal posts.

They played a few games where Harry was the seeker, Ron the keeper, the twins as beaters, and Ginny as a chaser. It was hard with so few players, but they had a lot of fun trying anyway.

In fact it was probably the most fun Harry had ever had, and it wasn't because any of them were playing well- it was too hot for that. The twins ended up knocking the bludgers towards each other quite often and Ron nearly fell off his broom three times. Ginny's hands were sweating so badly, she could barely hold onto the Quaffle and had dropped it quite a few times. And the snitch seemed to be chasing Harry instead of the other way around. The entire scenario was hilarious and they spent more time laughing at each other's poor attempts at playing Quidditch than anything else. By the end of the day, Harry's sore ribs would ache from all the laughter.

Bored with their mock-Quidditch game, they decided to race each other instead. Harry of course beat everyone time and time again, seeing he had the newest and fastest broom. Ron began to protest that fact, so Harry offered his broom to him. They raced again and Harry still won, even on the older broom. Though it had been a close race, there was no denying the fact that Harry was simply a better flier.

They then practiced various loop-de-loops and dives that they had read about in various Quidditch magazines. They all whooped and hollered as they flew in odd patterns through the air, without a care in the world. Everyone was acting really goofy today, and Harry could only assume that the heat was to blame for the Weasley kids strange behavior.

They even got in a good game of tag. Harry let himself be tagged on quite few occasions, even though he could easily fly away, just so that he could go after Ron. He chased his best friend wildly, with his heart pounding. Ron would often try to hide behind the tree, flying circles around it to get away, but Harry would always catch up to him and slap him on the back to tag him. Once he missed his back and had slapped his arse instead. Ron didn't seem to mind though and they both started giggling madly.

Harry knew that Ginny was trying to catch his attention all afternoon, and it was all he could do to ignore her and still be polite. It got down right annoying when she started yelling, "_Now come catch me. Catch me!"_ after Harry had tagged Ron yet again. He chased Ginny around some, but made sure he was never close enough to catch her. He didn't like her the same way she liked him, and he didn't want to lead her on.

After exerting all that energy, they decided they needed a break. They all hovered about twenty feet from the ground, panting slightly and trying to relax on the stiff brooms.

"Man, it's bloody hot out here," said Fred, wiping the sweat from his brow as he hovered in the air. His twin was flying circles around them, creating a small breeze.

After several passes, George glanced over his shoulder at Ron and Harry, and asked, "Hey, what do you think about going for a dip?"

"Yeah!" Ron said enthusiastically. "I was just wondering the same thing!"

"Then let's go!" George shouted, steering his broom towards the ground, Fred following close behind him.

"Woo-hoo!" Ginny shouted with glee, following the twins towards the ground. Her red hair was streaming behind her. Instead of landing beside them though she began to fly in small circles looking up at Harry expectantly.

"C'mon Harry," Ron said with a broad smile and he dived towards the ground where his brothers were waiting for him by a large pond. The pond was so large in fact that it could even be considered a small lake.

"What are we doing?" Harry asked, dismounting his broom and standing beside Ron once he had reached the ground.

"Going swimming of course. It's too hot now to do much of anything else," Ron replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh, I-I don't know-" Harry had started to say, but was cut off as Ginny flew past them, narrowly missing their heads.

She flew to the center of the pond and inverted her broom so that she was upside down. She then let go of the broom with her hands and placed them together below her head in prayer position. Harry didn't even realize what she was doing until she suddenly let go with her legs and made a near perfect dive straight into the water with her clothes still on.

Fred _accio_ed his sisters broom and set it beside the tree for safe keeping. He then joined his twin in applauding and whistling loudly. "Well done little sis! The best I've seen yet." Apparently this was something they all did often.

The three brothers quickly began to tear off their trainers and shed their t-shirts, but left their shorts on. The three redheads started running into the water after their sister, who was calling loudly for everyone to join her.

"C'mon Harry, the water's fine!" she yelled, treading water in the deepest part of the pond.

Ron, Fred, and George looked behind them and saw that Harry was still standing on the shore having no intentions of joining them. They looked at one another mischievously and began to run as fast as humanly possible back through the water towards their small friend.

"That's okay, I r-really can't swim anyway," he tried to explain. Harry backed away, uncertain of what they were going to do him but knowing full well that it would probably be embarrassing.

There was no way that he was going take off his shirt so that they could see all his horrible scars that his uncle had left him. He was also terribly thin, and he didn't want anyone to see how his ribs were nearly visible on his gaunt frame. They couldn't possibly understand why he looked like that and he didn't feel up to explaining that he was nearly starved by his relatives. He had many bruises still too that Madam Pomfrey had to let heal on their own. He had only been out of the hospital a few days now, and they hadn't fully healed.

He quickly grabbed his broom hoping to make an escape, but before he could mount it the three soaking wet Weasleys were all ready on him. Someone ripped the broom away from him and set it aside. The twins then each grabbed an arm and a leg and hoisted Harry into the air, so that Ron could take off his shoes.

"Ron, s-stop it. I don't want to go swimming," Harry protested, kicking his feet. Ron still managed to get off his shoes despite Harry's efforts to stop him. Ron was giggling madly, as were the twins. They seemed oblivious to Harry's discomfort.

Now barefoot, they set him back down on the warm grass and reached for his shirt. "NO! Stop it!" Harry screamed, feeling himself beginning to panic. "Leave m-me alone! I don't want to go sw-swimming!" He desperately tried to push them away, but they were so much bigger than him that it seemed hopeless. He felt much like how he used to when he had tried to fend off his uncle during a beating- small, weak, and pathetic.

"It's okay, Harry-" said Fred.

"-we won't let you drown," George finished. The twins seemed to think that the situation was funny, and weren't about to give up stripping Harry and throwing him into the water. They kept trying to pull up Harry's shirt, and he continued to yank it back down praying that no one had seen anything.

Ron, thankfully, noticed how upset Harry was. "Leave him alone. He doesn't have to go swimming if he doesn't want to…" he said, pushing Fred and George off of Harry.

They backed away knowing not to mess with Ron. They had been able to push their younger brother around when they were little, but now Ron was a force to be reckoned with when he was angry. He was taller than, and at least as strong as, the twins. "Ahh… your no fun," whined Fred.

"Where's your Weasley spirit Ronnie?" asked George. "It's been ages since we've tossed anyone into the pond."

"Leave him alone!" Ron shouted, standing between them and Harry.

"Fine, we'll go have fun without you!" They sauntered back to the pond and dove in, swimming out towards where Ginny was still swimming.

"Harry, what's wrong? I've seen you swim before…" Ron began to say once he had turned back towards his friend.

By now Harry was shaking with emotion and didn't trust his voice to say anything. Too embarrassed to face the one he cared about most, Harry grabbed his broom and flew off towards the direction of the woods, leaving a very confused Ron behind.

Looking back behind him, he saw Ron still standing where he left him with a dumb look on his face. Seeing that Ron didn't care enough to follow him, Harry slowed his pace and began to lazily dart back and forth between the trees trying to take his mind off what happened. Unfortunately, he reached the boundary of the wards and knew he couldn't fly any further. He landed his broom near a fallen log beside a stream and decided to rest there.

He realized then that he had forgotten about his shoes, and could feel every stick and rock poking into the bottoms of his bare feet. He stepped gingerly over the terrain towards the stream.

He was still incredibly hot and tired from playing Quidditch. He squatted down beside the stream and splashed the cool water on his reddened face, hoping for some relief. A swim in the pond would have been nice, but he didn't want the others learning about the abuse he had suffered all his life. And he wasn't exactly given the option as to whether or not he wanted to take his shirt off.

There was also another reason why he hadn't wanted to go swimming. He secretly harbored a small fear that he could actually drown, seeing that he had never learned how to swim properly. The Dursleys certainly never took him to the beach with him, preferring to leave him with Mrs. Figg when they vacationed instead of allowing him to come along. And he had never even been in a pool before.

In fact the bath tub in the prefect's bathroom he had used last year was as close to a pool as he had ever been in. The only thing that gave him confidence that he wouldn't drown during the second task of the Triwizard Tournament was the fact that he had the Gillyweed that Dobby had given him. Well, that and he was determined to save Ron before time ran out. He had truly believed that he would lose his best friend if he didn't make it back in time.

Harry sat down on the fallen log and placed his face in his hands, elbows propped up on his knees. He was so lost in thought that he didn't even see Ron flying around looking for him, or dismount his broom a short distance away.

"Harry? What's going on? Are you okay?" Ron asked, crouching down in front of him. Harry saw that he had thoughtfully brought his shoes to him.

Harry looked into his worried blue eyes and sighed. "I'm fine."

"What happened back there? You, like, freaked out or something…"

"I did not f-freak out!" Harry said angrily. "I just didn't want to go swimming."

"Why not? It's hot out here," said Ron, wiping away the bead of sweat on his forehead. His blue eyes were staring at Harry intensely looking for answers.

"Just because." Harry pushed a pebble around on the ground with his till bare toes, hoping that this conversation would somehow magically end before it got any worse. He couldn't even look at Ron right now.

"Because, why?" Ron persisted. He reached out and grabbed Harry's wrist and craned his neck a bit closer as if he were trying to get Harry to look at him.

"Ron, I don't have to tell you everything!" he shouted, knocking his hand away.

Ron looked hurt by this comment and moved back slightly. "I never said that you did. I was just curious. Can't you swim?" he asked lightly.

"No, if you must know," Harry said bitterly, shooting him a dirty look.

At first Ron looked sympathetic, but then he looked somewhat confused. "But I thought… the second task…" he tried to say.

"Yeah, well I wasn't worried about drowning then because I had the Gillyweed. Besides I was trying to save you!" Harry said heatedly. He stood up and turned around so that he wasn't facing Ron anymore. He didn't know why he was acting so rude to him, but he couldn't help his feelings right now. The incident at the pond had brought up a lot of issues about what his uncle had done to him, and Harry felt a need to protect himself at any cost.

"But Harry you seemed really upset back there. And I don't think it had to do with swimming… you know I would never let anything happen to you… what's really wrong?" Ron tried again.

"Leave me alone, Ron…" Harry said almost in a whisper. He closed his eyes hoping that this was just some awful dream. He hated treated Ron this way especially when things seemed to be changing between them, but he couldn't let him know how weak and pathetic he was for allowing his Muggle uncle to beat him.

"Why did you freak when the twins tried to take off your shirt?" Ron asked.

Harry could feel himself panicking yet again. "I c-came out here so I could be alone! Why can't you just leave m-me alone?" Harry yelled, turning back towards his friend and gesturing with his hands in frustration. He didn't really want to be alone; he just didn't want Ron poking his nose where it didn't belong. But Harry didn't know how to express this without explaining everything else.

"Why are you acting like this?" Ron shouted back. Before Harry could say anything his friend turned away in anger like he was going to storm off. Harry stared sadly at his back for a few moments noticing the way his t-shirt stuck to his sweaty skin. Surprisingly, Ron turned back towards him again and said, "I thought after last night that we could finally talk to one another. I thought we had kind of connected."

"So did I…" Harry said softly, remembering how he had been pushed away the instant Ron thought someone might know they slept in the same bed together. It wasn't like they had done anything.

"Harry, talk to me…" Ron said. He took a few steps forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"No, leave me alone!" Harry yelled, shrugging his friends' hand off.

Ron looked at him with such sadness in his eyes, and Harry wondered if Ron knew the real reason why he was upset. He backed away and grabbed his broom. "Harry, I don't know what's going on with you… and I don't really feel like fighting. I'm not upset with you; I'm just worried. You know you can tell me anything… right?"

Harry looked away, unwilling to meet his gaze.

"Well, when you're feeling better about whatever is wrong, come find me and maybe we can talk…"

Ron cast one last sad look at his friend and then mounted his broom. Before Harry could even apologize or tell him to wait, he was already gone.

Harry sunk back down onto the fallen tree and placed his face back in his hands. Why did everything have to be so complicated? He sat there a good while longer as the thought about things before heading back towards the Burrow.

He felt like he was on an emotional rollercoaster with everything that had happened already today. He had already felt so many highs and lows that he didn't think that he could possibly feel anything more. He could hardly know that news of his uncle would set him off on yet another wild ride of emotion.

* * *

A/N: This day in the story is kind of broken up into two parts. The second half of the day will take place in the next chapter. For those of you still hoping for more slash… all I can say is that it's on its way. We're still in the first week of Harry's stay at the Burrow and I hardly can rush their relationship this soon. Bear with me. When their relationship does blossom it will be bittersweet. 

**Many thanks to all my reviewers! You have no idea how happy it makes me to have consistent responses from so many of you. And the length of the reviews I receive seem to lengthen with each chapter. It makes it hard to write responses to them all! I'm writing this story as much for you now as I am for me. I love you guys!**


	11. Victim of Circumstance

A/N: I'm so sorry for the long delay. I can't believe that more than a month has gone by since my last update. My sincerest apologies. Life got in the way of my writing, much to my muses dismay. We still have a lot of ground to cover. Don't worry, I haven't given up. I will see this to the end.

Since it's been so long, let me just clarify before you begin reading that this chapter takes place right after Ron and Harry's fight in the woods in the last chapter. Got it? Good… now read!

**Chapter 11- Victim of Circumstance**

"C'mon where is it?" Arthur muttered to himself as he sifted through the numerous file folders on his desk. It was almost time for him to return to the Burrow, and he was going to be late because of his carelessness.

It had been another hectic day at work and Arthur was in a rather irritated state. Complaint after complaint had flooded his office and it was all he and his staff could do to keep up with them all. He had lost a file in all the mess and the fact that he couldn't find it now was aggravating him to no end.

Like most days, his desk had been overtaken by the mounds of paperwork that accumulated daily, and he was having difficulty finding what he was looking for. The important file had been misplaced earlier, and Arthur felt like he was searching for a needle in a haystack as he poured through the mountain of folders looking for it. Determinedly, he began to file away all of the paperwork in the hopes of finding his desk again.

Although he was primarily responsible for handling Muggle related fieldwork, he also found himself spending most of his day reading through the numerous reports that had been filed with the Ministry. The reports were usually claims that some witch or wizard had charmed something from the Muggle world in unnatural ways. If the report was legitimate, Arthur conducted a thorough investigation and confiscated the enchanted objects if necessary.

Many people looked down upon the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office of the Ministry and felt that it was somehow inferior to the more "important" departments. Many witches and wizards, mostly purebloods, felt that they were somehow above Muggles, and their strange ways, but not Arthur. Since he had a fondness for Muggle things, he didn't mind dealing with Muggles like so many of his colleagues. He respected their non-magical brethren for the ingeniousness in the face of adversity. Look at all they had done without the use of magic. Arthur saw his position in the Ministry as vital to maintaining the wizarding world as they knew it. He helped to keep their world safe from Muggles, who were a constant threat to their very existence.

Arthur had been so busy cleaning off his desk that he hadn't even heard Tonks knock on his office door, nor had he seen her poke her head in when he didn't respond.

"Wotcher, Arthur… Can I spare a moment of your time?" she asked with an uncharacteristically soft voice.

Somewhat startled, Arthur looked up from his desk to find the young woman waiting for a response patiently. "Uh… sure… have a seat and I will be with you in just a minute. I'm looking for something and if I don't locate it before I leave I'm sure it will slip my mind that I was ever looking for it in the first place…"

Tonks nodded politely and entered the messy office. She was still wearing her standard issue red Auror robes, but that was the only thing typical about her appearance. Today she donned a head full jet black hair which she had pulled back into a very long pony tail that reached her lower waist. Sometimes Arthur had to do a triple take at her just to make sure that it really was his young friend and Order member. She changed her appearance so often that Arthur wasn't even sure what was normal for her.

Tonks settled herself into a chair in front of his desk and watched as Arthur moved some of the files that he had finished reading from his desk to the filing cabinet with a flick of his wand. Other files were stacked neatly on a table beside his desk, where he could go through them in the morning.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he finally found what he was looking for. Arthur laid the elusive file on the corner of his desk and banished the rest of the files to the filing cabinet. He sat down in his chair across from Tonks and noticed for the first time the worried look on the young witch's face.

"What can I do for you?" he asked, assuming that she had come with some report that had turned up in her department. Aurors often stumbled upon claims that needed to be directed to his department during the course of their investigations. "Did you find another lawn mower enchanted to be self-propelled?" he asked. Arthur had already dealt with three such cases in the last month alone.

"No… actually, it's about Harry…" she began. Tonks glanced up from her hands, which were twisting together in her lap nervously. She met his blue eyes with her thoughtful gaze.

Arthur felt a knot form in his throat at the mention of the young boy that was currently residing in his home. "Oh…" he said dumbly. He certainly hadn't been expecting Tonks to say that. Not after the awful day he had already had.

"I received a message from Social Services on my answering machine. I decided to stop by my flat in London today when I got off my shift to check my messages. I was really surprised to hear from that Mitchell lady so soon… her message sounded… I don't know how to explain it… but I came back to the Ministry right away because I thought you might want to know about it," she said, speaking more and more rapidly as she revealed her news. "I'm glad that you were still here."

"What did Social Services want?" he asked, feeling nervous for some strange reason. He knew that Harry was safe now from those awful relatives of his, but Arthur couldn't help feel concerned what the Muggle world wanted from Harry when they seemed to all but abandon him before.

"I couldn't bring my machine here because of the interference of magic so I spelled the message to be transferred to this piece of parchment," Tonks replied, as she pulled the parchment from her robes. She set it on the desk and slid it across to Arthur. "It's quite long…"

Arthur took a deep breath and silently began to read the lengthy phone call documented on the parchment she handed him:

"_Hello, this Margaret Mitchell from the London Division of Social Services. I'm trying to reach the Weasley family in regards to Harry Potter, the boy in your custody. We have on several occasions tried to conduct a surprise home visit to ensure the safety and well being of Harry, but you have apparently have not been home. It is important that we are able to see the boy and know of your current whereabouts if you do not plan to stay in London._

_I am quite concerned for Harry. Not only because I am unable to locate him, but also because of his numerous injuries. I trust that he has seen your _

general practitioner _after he was released from the hospital, and I will be expecting full documentation of these doctors visits as soon as possible. _

_Harry may like to know that his uncle has been released from the hospital and is doing well, all things considered. The judge is allowing Vernon to remain in his home while he awaits trial. The Dursleys seem quite concerned that Harry is staying with you and have adamantly stated that they are of no relation to anyone named Weasley. They also have expressed a concern that you may be encouraging Harry to tell lies about them. I am thoroughly confused about your so-called relations, and I would appreciate a meeting to clear this up._

_Furthermore, I need to inform you that two separate hearings will be taking place in August against Harry's uncle. The dates are only tentative as of right now, and I will contact you on a later date with further information. One of the hearings will be for the charge of driving while intoxicated. A lawyer representing the family of Donald Keefer, the other driver involved in the accident, would like to speak with Harry to take his statement. Apparently the man had a pre-existing heart condition and died of complications while in the ICU. His family is very upset. They will be pursuing a lawsuit against Vernon Dursley, and they are hoping to persuade the district attorney_ _to also charge Dursley with manslaughter. I don't think this charge will stick, but its worth pursuing if we can get this man behind bars._

_The second hearing will be on the charges of criminal child abuse and negligence of a minor. It is of the utmost importance that Harry attends this hearing if we are going to have any chance of putting Vernon Dursley behind bars. I have a heard a rumor that Dursley knows someone on the inside and that he is trying to find a way to get off the charges. I cannot stress how important it is that Harry be in attendance for this hearing and that we have his full cooperation. There is a chance that his uncle may be found not guilty if Harry does not take the stand. Social Services would like to interview him again in order to gain more information on his uncle. We also would like to question Harry about his aunt, Petunia Dursley, in the hopes that we can also bring her up on charges of neglect. As of right now, we still have no legal recourse against her._

_I must admit, I'm still a little confused as to how you obtained guardianship so quickly. I would like to speak with the judge or public official that ordered the transfer of custody about this matter in greater detail, as it is highly unusual and the action breaks many of our regulations and procedures._

_Please contact me at your earliest convenience. Your legal representative, Stephanie Tonks, has my information. I will be expecting a call promptly to resolve these matters. Thank you."_

After Arthur finished reading the parchment, he sighed deeply. He rubbed his tired face and began to process all that he had read.

"I know…" said Tonks, sympathetically. "It's quite a lot to take in." Her hands continued to wring together in her lap, illustrating her own frustration over the entire matter.

"This whole thing is a complete mess… Harry isn't going to like any of this," Arthur said, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't even begin to think how he was going to approach this topic with Harry, or when they would have chance alone to speak with him. Just when Harry seemed to be finally adjusting to life at the Burrow, Arthur had to go home and lay this bombshell on him.

"Maybe we should see Dumbledore and the Order before we say anything to Harry," she suggested.

Arthur shook his head. "No, I have a feeling that Harry would hate being left in the dark. He doesn't even want Molly or myself to know all that has happened to him, let alone the entire Order discussing it. I've been meaning to have a conversation about what his relatives actually did to him, but I couldn't bring myself to bring up that nightmare when he seemed to be doing so well with us. I think it's best if we tell him everything first and let him make the decision whether or not he wants to appear in court. Dumbledore always has Harry's best interests at heart, but I don't want Harry feeling forced into any situation."

"You know Harry won't want to go to court," Tonks protested.

"I know…" Arthur said, sighing in frustration.

"But if he doesn't than his uncle may be found not guilty…" she continued.

"I know…" he said again.

"No child should ever be treated that way…" Their eyes met again and Arthur could almost feel the sadness radiating off her. Although her face seemed rather stoic, her eyes glistened with unshed tears. It was very unsettling to see this normally vibrant person so melancholy. Tonks sniffled slightly trying to compose herself. "I really want that bastard in jail for what he did to Harry…"

Arthur nodded in agreement. "Me too…"

"If the Muggles don't put him away, is there something we can do?" she asked.

Arthur thought about what she said and rubbed at his face again. The entire situation was so complicated he wasn't sure if there was anything that they could do. "The Aurors would have to conduct an investigation and I'm not sure if we want to get the Ministry involved, considering who Harry is and all that. The media would have a field day with this. If he was any other kid, we could probably keep this under wraps, but…"

Tonks nodded in agreement... "I suppose you're right… so the only way Dursley will pay is if the Muggles lock him up?'"

"Looks like it…and that may not happen unless Harry testifies…"

"But Harry can't go to court… his injuries… the Muggles won't understand why he is already healed when he was only just released a few days ago…" she continued.

"There is that too… although I'm sure a few glamour charms can give the illusion of his injuries," Arthur offered.

"And what about the home visits she wants to conduct and the lawyer that wants to speak to him… what about…" Her voice was becoming more and more strained as she got upset. Her hands were wringing together so fiercely now, Arthur was afraid the Auror might twist a finger right off.

Arthur didn't feel like he could deal with her now knowing that he would have to go home and explain all of this to his wife, who would probably be even more upset. "Tonks… let me talk to Harry about all of this first," he snapped, his tone sounding harsher than he meant it to. "We can figure out the rest later…"

Tonks didn't seem offended by his sudden outburst, and nodded mutely. She looked as if she wanted to say something more, but finally only asked. "Will you let me know of his decision?"

Arthur nodded. "Of course. What will you say to Margaret Mitchell for the time being?"

She shrugged, a little unsure of herself. "Nothing… unless you want me to…"

"No, we'll wait until Harry decides what he wants to do… thank you for your assistance, Tonks," Arthur said, trying to offer a friendly smile. She smiled back politely, but it was clear that neither smile ever reached their eyes, which were both as sad as the day they rescued Harry together.

"No problem, just let me know what else you need me to do. No matter what it is…" Tonks said. Arthur nodded, and the young witch excused herself from the office.

Arthur snatched up the parchment, grabbed his cloak, and then made his way down the hall to the nearest fireplace. He felt like he just had to get out of there. Right now there was only one thing he wanted to do. Flooing home quickly he found his wife in the kitchen.

Molly was so used to the floo flaring up to allow some member of her family access their home, that she didn't even bother turning around or allow it to startle her when someone came home. She just continued about her business as if nothing had happened. She was currently standing at the sink washing some vegetables for dinner. Arthur smiled as he heard her humming softly to herself and could feel some of the tension leave his body.

He set the parchment down on the table and walked up to Molly, alerting her of his presence. He then wrapped his arms around his wife, embracing tightly her from behind. Being much taller than his wife, he stooped down and rested his chin on her shoulder and held her close. This was what he needed right now after such a long day- the love of the woman he still cherished so deeply. He took a deep breath, smelling Molly's strawberry scented shampoo still lingering in her hair, and then exhaled slowly.

Sensing that something was wrong, Molly stopped what she was doing and turned around in his arms. She looked up into his eyes searching for some kind of answer. "What is it? Did something happen? Does this have to do with Harry?" she finally asked when Arthur wasn't forthcoming. Molly was known for her intuition, but it was down right scary sometimes.

"Yes, I do have some news about Harry… but right now I just need a good hug from my wife…it's been a long day…" he said sadly.

"Are you alright dear?" she asked, as she buried her face into his chest, pulling him closer.

"I'm fine… I'm just worried about Harry that's all. I hate to think what all this will do to him when I have to bring it up…" he said softly.

"Bring up what?" she asked curiously, pulling back from their embrace. "What is it?"

"Tonks received a phone call from Social Services today. I think you should read it," said Arthur, pointing to the parchment lying on the table.

With much trepidation, Molly gingerly sat down at the table and picked it up in her now shaking hands. After she read the contents, she sat back and looked up at the ceiling, trying to hold back the tears. Molly was a tender soul and felt deeply for everyone, but there was a soft spot in her heart for Harry. She didn't want to put Harry through any of that any more than he did.

They both looked at one another worriedly and reached across the table for each other's hands. Without even having to speak to one another they made a silent agreement. Molly and Arthur would do everything in their power to keep Harry safe, both physically and emotionally, no matter what he decided to do.

* * *

Today had already been such a rollercoaster of emotions that Harry wasn't sure he could handle much of anything else. He hadn't meant to react so badly to the stunt that Ron, Fred, and George had try to pull on him at the pond, but he had felt the need to protect himself and his secrets at all costs. Now he just felt foolish for running away like that. 

He should have been stronger. He should not have allowed them to get to him like that. He should have thought of a better excuse. But he couldn't change any of that now, so he needed to decide how he was going to explain his actions. The only thing that seemed like a remotely plausible reason was a fear of water. He hoped that his excuse sounded believable enough and that they wouldn't see right through him.

Feeling restless after sitting beside the stream for so long, Harry decided to finally pull on his trainers that Ron had thoughtfully brought for him. He took a moment to splash some cool water on his still reddened face and made his way back towards the Burrow. He hoped to find Ron alone so that he could try to explain himself and maybe even apologize.

He didn't feel much like flying so he carried his broom over his shoulder instead, trying to think about what he would say to Ron once he saw him again. How could Harry possibly explain all the things he was feeling inside without telling him all his awful secrets? Ron had been strangely understanding for a change. Harry was used to his best mate acting irrationally to these sorts of situations, and he couldn't begin to understand this new side of him. Although Harry thought he rather liked this new side of him, it was all very confusing. What did it all mean?

Harry had been really touched when Ron had made an attempt to reach out to him. Part of him had wanted to run after Ron when he left to explain everything, but his pride held him place making him feel completely helpless and incredibly lost. All he ever wanted was to feel loved and appreciated, and when it seemed as if he might finally have all of that, he had pushed it all away.

He walked through the trees and crept back towards the house hoping that he wouldn't be seen by Ron's siblings. He could see from this distance that Fred, George, and Ginny were still at the pond enjoying their swim in this awful heat. Harry was embarrassed enough about what had happened and he didn't think he could face another confrontation right now.

He made his way up the front steps of the Burrow, fully intending to go upstairs and try to talk to Ron, but was greeted at the door instead by somebody else. He was beginning to feel like a constant victim of circumstance. Could anything in his life ever go the way he wanted it to?

"Oh…Harry, I'm glad that I caught you alone… Arthur and I have something that we need to discuss with you…" Mrs. Weasley began, taking his broom from his hands and setting it aside. He noticed Mr. Weasley was already seated at the kitchen table, watching him closely.

"W-what is it?" he asked nervously. The seriousness in her voice already had Harry on edge.

"Well, have a seat and we will talk this through…" Molly suggested, gently placing her hand on his shoulder and guiding him to the table. Harry was still feeling anxious from his afternoon and couldn't help but flinch when she touched him. Luckily, she didn't seem to notice.

He sat down across from Mr. Weasley and stared at the grainy surface of the wooden table. Mrs. Weasley sat beside her husband and gave him a sympathetic smile trying to put him at ease.

"Where are the rest of the kids?" Arthur asked his wife. Molly didn't seem to know.

"Ginny and the t-twins are outside," Harry offered.

"What about Ron?" he asked. Both Molly and Harry shrugged, neither one having seen him a long while. "Well, we best put up a silencing charm just in case…" The patriarch of the family raised his wand and cast the privacy spell around the kitchen to prevent anyone from hearing their conversation.

Harry couldn't help but feel alarmed now. A part of him felt like he was in trouble, though he had done nothing wrong. The only time an adult ever wanted to speak with him was if something was wrong. His heartbeat began to quicken slightly as he thought about all the possibilities for this conversation. None of them were very good.

He was still adjusting to his new role in this family and didn't really quite know how to interact with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. He was generally nervous around people, especially adults, always thinking he might say or do something wrong. He had a much easier time at Hogwarts because the adults there were his professors, and they had expectations that were similar to those at the Dursleys. Do as you're told. That was something he could at least understand.

Of course, the professors were much kinder at Hogwarts and seemed to be concerned for his general well being, but Harry was still expected to understand what they wanted from him in regards to behavior and academic performance. He was at a loss as to how he was supposed to be around his guardians. They certainly cared for him, that much as clear, but he had no idea how to respond in kind or how to talk with them.

Mr. Weasley folded his hands on the table in front of him and began to speak. "Harry, there is something we need to tell you. Tonks… you know, the lady you met when we took you from the Muggle hospital?" Harry nodded. "Well, she received an urgent phone call from your Social Worker. She had some information about your uncle that we need to discuss with you."

Harry tried to relax, but found that his heart was beating progressively faster with each passing minute. He really didn't want to hear what they were going to tell him next. He wished that that part of his life was just go away, but every time he tried to forget about it something brought it back with painful clarity.

"Maybe you should read this for yourself, before we go any further," said Mr. Weasley, sliding a piece of parchment over the table to him. "It's a transcript of the phone call that Tonks received today."

Harry nodded and began to read it over. In fact he read it three times, before he finally was able to set the parchment back on the table. The news was alarming to say the least, and he couldn't help but feel shaken by it all.

He was scared that he might actually be forced to appear in court to testify against his uncle, but what had bothered him most was that the other driver had actually died. He had never expected any of that and it came as quite a shock. Deep down Harry knew he wasn't responsible for his death the same way he wasn't responsible for Cedric's death, but that didn't really go far in suppressing the guilt he was now feeling.

A lump formed in the back of Harry's throat and it was all he could do to suppress the howling misery growing inside of him. He had broken down once in front of these kind people and he wasn't going to do it again. He had to remain strong. He just had to.

"I know that it is a lot of information to take in all at once, but we do have some decisions to make," Arthur said, trying to be considerate to Harry's needs.

"Harry, I know that you don't want to talk about any of this but do you think you can tell us a little more about the Dursleys. It would help if we knew what your uncle did to you…" Mrs. Weasley said, reaching across the table to grab his hand.

Harry stared down at the hand grasping his own and felt strangely uncomfortable. He wasn't used to such intimacy and as much as he appreciated the gesture, he withdrew his hand quickly and placed them both in his lap. He hated being rude to her, but for some reason he couldn't stand to be touched right now. He just wasn't used to it. "I d-don't want to t-talk about it…"

"We know, Harry," Mr. Weasley said sympathetically, looking at his wife and then back at Harry. "But maybe talking to us now will make it easier when you testify."

"I'm n-not going to testify…" he said firmly. There was no way he was going to take some stand and spill all his awful secrets. They would dissect everything he would say and there was a chance that the media here in the wizarding world would catch wind of the trial and then everyone would know how weak and pathetic he really was. What would they think of their boy hero? The hope of the wizarding world?

"I know you don't want to, but… Harry, your uncle deserves to be behind bars for what he did to you. He abused you," Molly said, her eyes filling with tears that she tried to blink away.

"He didn't abuse me…" he said in a soft voice, trying to convince himself as much as his guardians in front of him. "Sometimes Uncle Vernon g-got angry with me and had to p-punish me. It's no big deal…" He shrugged slightly as if to illustrate that it was really not worth mentioning.

Mrs. Weasley suddenly seemed really upset by what he just said. The sad look on her face quickly turned to anger. Harry instantly recognized the fiery temper because he had seen it in Ron several times. She stared up at the ceiling and wiped away a tear that had trickled on her cheek. "You really believe that, don't you…" she said, the anger clearly rising inside of her.

Harry had no idea what he had done wrong, but it was obvious to him that he had some how upset Mrs. Weasley. Trying to smooth things over, he quietly said, "I'm s-sorry…"

Mrs. Weasley sighed in disgust. "Don't you dare be sorry, Harry…" she said angrily. Seeing the confused and frightened look on Harry's face she added, "I _am_ upset if that is what you're thinking, but not with you… I'm mad at your bloody relatives."

Harry was so confused right now he couldn't help but ask, "W-why?"

"Because Harry," said Mr. Weasley, trying to help out his wife who looked beside herself now with worry and anger. "Your relatives _did_ abuse you, but for some reason you don't understand that. It's not right for someone to beat or starve a child for something they allegedly did wrong. Molly and I would never do that to our children and we would never do that to you. But you need to understand that what happened to you was a very horrible thing that should never have occurred. If we had only known…"

Harry was speechless. He had no idea what to say in response to any of that. When he was much younger he couldn't fully comprehend that what his relatives had done to him was wrong. It wasn't until he went to Hogwarts that he began to feel different, and not just because he was so famous. It was more than that. He just slowly came to an understanding that his home life was much different from everybody else's. And once he fully understood what that meant, Harry made himself a solemn oath that no one could ever know. Besides, Harry had promised his aunt he wouldn't say anything about what went on in their household no matter what, and he didn't intend to.

When it looked as if Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were going to try and talk to him about the abuse some more, the twins and Ginny came stomping into the Burrow. They must have used a drying charm or had laid out in the afternoon sun and allowed the water to evaporate because they were completely dry now. They all looked a little disheveled, but all in all they were in good spirits, smiling and playfully shoving their way into the house.

Their father greeted them at the door, which was just outside the parameters of the silencing spell and appeared to be telling them to go upstairs. The three siblings quickly looked over at Harry, whose face was now burning with embarrassment for his prior encounter with them this afternoon, and then began to question their father about what was going on. It was odd to see their facial expressions as their mouths moved, but Harry couldn't hear a word of it. No sound was able to penetrate the barrier.

Mrs. Weasley still sat across from and seemed to be waiting for her children to go upstairs so that she could continue to question Harry. He had no idea what he was going to say to all of their questions and was desperately trying to think of an explanation that would get them off his back.

Realizing that they wouldn't be able to get any answers about what was going on, Fred, George, and Ginny gave him one last sympathetic look before disappearing upstairs.

Mr. Weasley sighed deeply after his conversation with his nosy children and returned to the table to continue their conversation. Before either adult could say a word, however, Harry spoke up to say his piece hoping that it would be enough.

"I know w-what you are trying to do, and I appreciate it. But I'm really okay. I don't n-need to talk about my relatives and I don't want to testify against my uncle. I'm g-grateful that you both took me in and everything you have done for me… but I just want to forget everything that happened…"

Apparently this was not what Ron's mum and dad wanted to hear. They looked at one another sadly and seemed to be silently trying to communicate about what they should do about him.

Harry sat back and wrapped his arms protectively around his waist and waited to see what they would say next. Sadly, the one thing Harry wanted to do more than anything else right now was to find a small dark closet where he could hide away from the world.

As much as he hated his old cupboard under the stairs growing up, especially since he had a fear of being trapped in enclosed spaces, it had also served as a source of comfort. As odd as that seemed, it was the only thing that was truly his as a small child. It served as his solitude from all the crap in his life, and a part of him wished he could crawl inside of it right now and hide. The world was too scary of a place to face right now and he felt very much alone despite the efforts of Ron's family to make him feel otherwise.

* * *

Ron was lying on his bed poring through an old Quidditch magazine yet again. He had hoped to get his mind off Harry, but as hard as he tried he couldn't stop thinking about what had happened out by the pond. 

Ron couldn't remember Harry ever looking so terrified before and he couldn't help but feel guilty for causing some of it. They hadn't meant any harm by it. Being tossed into the pond was something of a Weasley tradition. Bill and Charlie had started "Weasley Tossing" long ago, but it was Fred and George who kept it alive. Going after Harry was just proof that he had finally become one of the family. So why did he react so badly?

Ron sometimes forgot that Harry didn't grow up with any siblings- Dudley certainly didn't count as one- and it was surprising at times just how uncomfortable Harry was around them. He had never said anything to him before, but Ron knew that their noisy household took some getting used to. Harry would often just listen to them quietly or watch them from afar with a sad smile on his face as if he were living vicariously through their actions. He had never known what it was to grow up with a true family, and sometimes the boisterous nature of the red headed clan seemed to be too much for him.

Something told Ron, however, that the incident at the pond was more than just Harry's uneasiness around them. After all, only a few minutes earlier they had all been flying around having a really good time playing Quidditch and a game of tag. It had to be something deeper. What could have caused Harry to become so afraid that he nearly had a panic attack? His shrill voice had pleaded with them to stop like his life depended on it. And when Ron tried to confront Harry about it he ran away, or rather he flew away into the woods.

Ron had been completely bewildered. Normally he would have been quite angry that Harry would have just taken off on him like that, but he quelled any such thoughts and pursued his friend in the hopes to make amends. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned, and now he was even more confused than before. Having nothing else to do and no where else to go, Ron had sneaked up to his room without his mother noticing, hoping for a bit of peace.

Ever since Harry had come to the Burrow, Ron had been a ball of emotions. His moods had been wildly swinging back and forth so violently that he no longer felt like himself anymore. He knew that most of what he was feeling had to do with Harry. Ron just couldn't seem to be happy unless Harry was and this confusing behavior of his had Ron feeling hopelessly lost when it came to his best friend.

Ron just hoped that the surprise birthday party that he and his mom had planned earlier would help lift Harry's spirits. Ron had seen the owls go out while they had been playing tag to deliver the invitations. There was even a possibility that Sirius and Professor Lupin would be back in time for the party. Apparently someone from the Order had managed to get word to them while they were gone on their secret mission that Harry had been in a car accident and was taken from the Dursleys.

Flipping idly through his magazine Ron heard Fred, George, and Ginny climbing up the stairs talking animatedly with one another. He pressed his ear to the door and tried to listen to what they were saying, hoping for some bit of news about Harry seeing that he hadn't returned from the woods yet. Ron had been hoping that Harry would come looking for him and that they could talk about everything once and for all.

"I'm hungry," one of the twins muttered.

"Me too. I hope that whatever is going on down there won't take long."

"I wonder what's so important that Mum and Dad would have to use a silencing charm to talk to him," wondered one of the twins. Ron couldn't make out who the voice belonged to. It was nearly impossible to discern the difference between Fred and George by voice alone.

"Who knows… this is Harry we're talking about. I swear he has more secrets sometimes than Dumbledore…" muttered the other twin.

"Don't say that about Harry, Fred. I'm sure it's important. And whatever they are talking about I'm certain that Harry will tell us later. He wouldn't keep secrets from us like that," Ginny argued.

"You keep on believing that little sis," responded Fred in a patronizing tone.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked angrily.

"Harry isn't going to tell you what's going on. He doesn't appear to be even interested in you, so why do you keep throwing yourself at him?" he asked in a sarcastic tone.

"Shut up Fred!" Ginny said, slamming her door.

"Ooh, that was harsh… but true," George replied. Ron could hear them laughing as they closed their own door a floor below him.

From the sound of their conversation, their parents seemed to be talking to Harry about something important in the kitchen. Knowing that they had a silencing charm up, Ron went to his dresser and opened the top drawer. Neatly tucked in the corner was a flesh colored piece of string. It was an invention the twins had created called Extendable Ears. He tucked the string in his hand, closed his drawer, and silently made his way out into the hallway and down the stairs.

Everything was absolutely silent on the first floor, so Ron took a chance to peek his head around the corner to make sure Harry and his parents really were in the kitchen like the twins had said. He could see his parent's mouths moving, but no sound reached his ears so there must be a silencing charm in place. Ron couldn't help but notice that their faces were each a mixture of emotions. Harry seemed rather uncomfortable and had his arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

Making sure he was out of sight, he sat down on the stairs and carefully positioned the sting so that it hung off the edge of the last stair. Holding one end of the string in his ear, he nudged the other end carefully into the kitchen until he was able to hear their conversation. Even though he knew they couldn't hear him, Ron found himself holding his breath as he listened anxiously.

"Please… I c-can't do this…" Harry suddenly pleaded.

"I understand… but your uncle may not go to jail unless you testify against him in court…" Ron heard his father tell him.

"I don't care…" Harry mumbled miserably. "I just c-can't do it… what if something goes wrong… I don't w-want to go back there…"

Ron grew more and more worried as he listened to the desperation in Harry's voice. He had also heard that frightened tone only hours earlier and he was still at a loss as to what it all meant.

He knew that Harry probably didn't want everyone knowing about the accident- he was just a private person in that way- and if he testified Ron was sure that the Ministry would hear about it. And if Fudge knew, then the Daily Prophet would know too, and it would be all over the papers by the following morning.

But Harry had dealt with the press before and surely this situation was no worse than what had happened last year when Rita Skeeter had written all those awful articles about him. She had even gone so far to say that Harry and Hermione were a couple, which just seemed almost ludicrous now.

"You will never go back there, Harry. You live with us now… we would never let that happen…" his mother said.

"But… w-what if they try to send me to a children's home again? They don't even believe your story about us being r-related anymore..."

"We won't let them do that to you. You live with us now. You're a part of my family… will you least think about testifying against your uncle?" his mother tried to reason.

"I don't w-want to…"

"Don't you want him to pay for what he has done…" his father tried again.

"I don't know…" Harry muttered, his voice sounding very small and tiny. No one said anything for awhile. "Can I think about it?" His parents both nodded reluctantly.

Harry was terrified for some reason, and Ron knew in his heart that he was upset about something other than the accident. There just had to be more to it than that.

"Can I go outside for a while?" Harry asked politely.

"I suppose so, but dinner will be ready shortly…" his mother said softly.

"That's okay… I'm not very hungry…" he replied, his voice sounding like it was caught in his throat.

For a long while Ron had had a nagging suspicion in the back of his mind that there was more to Harry's home life with the Dursleys than he was letting on.

Sitting on the bottom step of the stairs, just out of sight, Ron began putting the pieces of the puzzle together. He thought about Harry growing up in a cupboard. He thought about how thin Harry was each year he came back to Hogwart's and how much smaller he was than everyone in general. It was abundantly clear now that the Dursleys had in fact been starving Harry. He thought about the time that he found his best mate locked in his room with bars on his window. And although Harry put on a brave front in most situations, he was generally a very shy and quiet kid a lot of the time. He preferred to watch those around him rather than join in a conversation.

He also thought about the way Harry had freaked out earlier when the twins had tried to take off his shirt. What was Harry hiding? Ron was sure now that Harry had been both verbally and emotionally abused all of his life, but could he have been physically abused as well? Did his relatives beat him? Is that why Harry didn't want to testify against his uncle? Was he afraid? It was a concept Ron was having trouble even processing in his muddled brain. He couldn't understand how anyone could ever do that to a child, let alone a member of their own family. And he couldn't understand why Harry had never said anything.

He still had the flesh colored piece of string to his ear, but he was barely listening to their conversation now. His heart was pounding in his chest as the thought of anyone hurting his Harry. He grew angrier and angrier with each passing second.

He watched as Harry made his way outside. Ron wanted nothing more than to go out to him, but his parents couldn't know he had been listening. It was all he could do to restrain himself from running after him like he so badly wanted to. He pocketed the Extendable Ears and took a calming breath.

He then turned around and walked up the stairs to the first landing. He waited until the silencing spell was released and then walked down stairs as casually as possible. He stepped into the kitchen and saw the worried faces of his parents. That seemed somewhat startled by his sudden presence. His mother's eyes were glassy as if she were trying not to cry.

"Hey, when's dinner ready?" Ron asked.

"Soon…" said his mother, turning her back to him as she went about preparing dinner.

"Oh… where's Harry? I haven't seen him in a while…" he asked. His heart was beating in his chest and he hoped that his parents wouldn't catch onto his lie. He didn't feel like dealing with them. All he wanted to do was talk to Harry right now.

"Outside…" said his father. His face seemed so sad and tired, and Ron wondered what else they had talked about.

"Okay, I'm going to go find him," Ron said, walking out the door.

"Maybe you should give him some time…" he heard his father say behind him, but Ron ignored him.

Walking down the rickety wooden steps, Ron scanned the yard wondering where Harry might be. He appeared to be no where in sight so Ron set out to look for him.

It was dusk now, and the sun was slowly setting, illuminating the western sky with hues of pink and purple. At least now some of the heat had burned off from earlier that day. The night air would have been almost refreshing if Ron weren't so worried about his friend. A cool breeze softly blew by, lifting his fiery hair as he looked for Harry.

After a few minutes, he found him sitting under the large oak that they had all chased each other around on their brooms. Ron held onto that memory from earlier today and allowed it to calm him as he approached his friend.

Harry's back was resting against the tree and his knees were brought up to his chest with his arms wrapped around them. Ron couldn't get over how small he looked right now. He seemed to be staring off into the distance, deep in thought.

Harry made no indication that he was even aware of Ron's presence, but he did not startle when he sat beside him. Ron made himself comfortable and decided to sit in the same position as Harry. For a few moments neither one said a word.

"Hey," Ron said.

"Hey," Harry replied, resting his chin now on his knees so that his head dipped forward away from Ron's piercing gaze.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Harry repeated flatly, refusing to meet his eyes.

Ron wanted to say_, "You always say that…"_ but instead he muttered, "You don't seem fine. I'm worried about you." He was hoping that if he was truthful with Harry, that maybe he would do the same.

"Don't be…"

"But I am. And I know my parents are too. Why can't you tell me what's wrong?" Ron asked in an almost defiant tone. He was starting to lose some of his patience with Harry as much as he was trying not to.

"Nothing's wrong, Ron," the smaller boy replied in a frustrated tone.

"Yes, there is. I overhead your conversation with my mum and dad. They want you testify against your uncle," he stated confidently.

"How d-do you know that? That was a private conversation," Harry said angrily. "There was silencing charm up!"

Harry broke away from him and turned his body toward Ron searching for answers. His emerald green eyes were bright and shiny behind his black frames. He looked so angry and frightened by this revelation. Ron wanted nothing more than to reach out and hold him right now.

"I used Extendable Ears," Ron confessed.

"Extendable what?"

"Extendable Ears… they allow someone to eavesdrop from a safe distance. The twins invented them," Ron explained, as he grabbed the flesh colored string from his pocket and showed it to Harry before putting it away again. "I slipped it past the silencing charm and listened from the stairs."

"You had no right!" Harry yelled angrily as he jumped to his feet. "You had n-no right to eavesdrop like that! Why couldn't you just ask me?"

"I _have_ tried to ask you what's wrong. You won't tell me!" Ron jumped up to meet him.

"That's because it's none of your b-business!" Harry screamed back. His hands were balled tightly into fists by his sides.

"Of course it's my business, Harry. I'm worried about you and you won't talk to me!"

"That still doesn't give you any right to eavesdrop!"

Ron threw up his hands in the air in frustration. "What did you expect me to do? I want to know what's going on!"

"You should have asked!" Harry retorted.

"I did!" Ron shook his head in frustration. "This conversation is going in circles…" he muttered to himself.

"How much did you hear?" Harry asked through clenched teeth.

"What?" Ron asked, confused by the change in Harry's tone.

"How much did you hear?" he repeated slowly.

"Uh… I don't think that much… really… Just the part at the end about you not wanting to testify in court," he admitted.

"Anything else?" Ron shook his head no and Harry seemed to sigh in relief.

"What's going on? Why does your uncle have to go to court?" Ron persisted.

"That's what happens when people break the law!" Harry replied, rolling his eyes with irritation.

"I don't understand… what exactly did he do?" Ron asked, fearing the worst. Surely Muggles prosecuted child abusers the same way the wizarding world does.

"You already know… he was drunk driving. Apparently the other driver had heart problems and died of complications after a couple of days. His family wants to sue my uncle now…" Harry replied, his voice sounding quite sad and lost. His whole body seemed to be shaking slightly now, but Ron was sure that it wasn't because of the air temperature, which had dropped considerably since earlier today.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that… you know it's not your fault, right?" he asked gently. Ron knew that Harry would find some way to blame himself, like he did with Cedric's death. Harry merely shrugged but offered no comment.

They stood that way, facing one another defiantly for a couple of minutes, completely unaware of the darkness falling down around them. They each sought each other's eyes hoping the other would understand what they were feeling without having to explain themselves. Creatures of the night slowly began to sing their nightly songs, filling the air with a mixture of buzzing and chirping in an oddly melodious soundtrack for this heated confrontation.

"Why don't you want to testify?" he asked, when Harry wouldn't say anything else.

"That's none of you business…" Harry said softly, but his tone was not one of anger now.

"Yes it is. I care about you, if you haven't noticed, and if your uncle has done something wrong then he should go to jail!"

Ron took a few steps towards the shaking boy before him, closing the distance between them. Harry looked as if he wanted to turn away or maybe take a few steps back, but he held his ground.

"I just can't do it, Ron," Harry said in frustration. "Don't you get it?"

"Yeah, I think I understand… you don't want the whole wizarding world finding out and talking about you and writing about you in articles again and… well, all of that…" Ron offered, shoving his hands in his pockets. He suddenly felt like he didn't have anything to do with his hands and his only solution was to put them in his pockets. He never remembered having this problem before, but he felt uncomfortable just the same.

"Something like that…" Harry said softly, copying Ron's current stance by placing his own hands in his pockets. He looked quite uncomfortable as well.

Ron nodded, trying to understand. "But there is one thing I don't get… why were those Muggles going to put you in a children's home?"

Harry seemed to get upset by the question and said, "Hello, I'm an orphan… that's what happens when the people you stay with break the law…" He had removed his hands from his pockets and was now gesturing nervously as he spoke.

"Harry, I know that. But it's not like your aunt did anything, right? Why couldn't you still live with her? Why were they going to take you away? Why are you afraid that they still might if you testify?"

"It's complicated," Harry mumbled, dismissing the whole subject completely.

"I feel like there is something you're not telling me…" Ron tried again, hoping that his friend would finally be able to tell him about the Dursleys. He didn't think he would be able to just come out and ask Harry if he was abused. He needed Harry to say it himself.

Harry didn't respond. He shot his eyes to the ground to avoid looking at Ron for the moment. He was shaking so badly now he looked as if he might fall over from weariness.

Seeing Harry so distressed, Ron did the one thing that he had been wanting to do all night. He put his arms out and pulled Harry into a hug. Harry stiffened at the gesture like he did before, but soon he melted into the embrace. His body was amazingly cold and it seemed as if he were trying to soak up all of Ron's warmth.

Ron just held him close. As much as he wanted to capture his lips with his own, he couldn't bring himself to do that right now. He wasn't sure if the gesture would be welcomed by Harry and he didn't know how he would respond, especially in this emotional state. They stayed that way for a long while listening the night songs as the last rays of the sun fell down around them.

Harry finally pulled away and looked up into Ron's eyes. The taller boy placed a hand on either of Harry's shoulders and looked down at him intently.

"Thanks," Harry said softly.

"For what?" Ron asked and Harry merely shrugged his shoulders. But Ron understood. He was grateful for simply being held- something he undoubtedly craved since he grew up with a lack of affection.

They continued staring into one another's eyes and it was all Ron could do to keep himself from kissing Harry right there. His breath seemed oddly hitched in anticipation. At one point it seemed as if they actually might, but a sudden loud rumbling interrupted them.

Harry broke out in laughter as Ron's stomach continued to gurgle its hunger in protest. It was no secret that Ron had a big appetite, and they both hadn't had dinner yet.

"C'mon… I'm obviously hungry and I'm sure dinner is ready. Why don't we head in?" Ron asked, taking Harry by the elbow and leading him towards the house.

"Oh… I don't know… I'm not very hungry…" Harry tried to argue, looking uncomfortable once again.

"Sorry mate, you're eating whether you like it or not. Mum wouldn't have it any other way. You can at least try to eat something…"

Harry nodded agreeably and followed Ron into the house. The dinner table was oddly quiet that evening and no one said anything about the pair's late arrival. Ron suspected that his parents had told his siblings not to question Harry about their conversation with him earlier. His father tried to make small talk about things going on at work, but no one seemed really interested. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts.

Strangely, Ron and Harry didn't say another word to each other for the rest of the evening. After dinner they both silently opted to go up their room and read quietly until it was time to go to sleep. Although there seemed to be some tension lingering between them, it was neither odd nor uncomfortable. It was just there. As if both of them knew that their relationship had changed somehow but they were unsure of how to talk about it or even bring it up in a conversation.

That night when the boys got ready for bed, Ron lay down beside Harry without asking if he could. He just slipped underneath the covers beside his best mate as if it were perfectly natural. Harry eyed him carefully looking like he wanted to say something, but chose to lay back and remained silent. Harry didn't seem to mind and neither boy said a word about it.

They both lay there quietly for a long while, restless after such a long day. As tired as their bodies were, they were having trouble turning off their minds. They were both having trouble getting to sleep, each one shifting slightly ever so often or letting out an exaggerated sigh of frustration. Part of the problem was their current proximity to one another. It was strange to lie beside your best mate knowing it was probably wrong, but wanting more just the same. Both boys were craving affection from their best mate, but were unsure of what to do about it.

Ron stared at the back of Harry's small frame wishing he could reach out and hold him again like he did before. After a while Harry turned this body towards him slightly, but his eyes remained closed. Ron could just make out his features by the moonlight that now softly illuminated his room. He watched as all the tension from that day was slowly erased from his features. In the ominous blue light Harry looked almost angelic.

Ron finally sensed that Harry was falling asleep. He took a chance and carefully slid closer to him and draped an arm lightly over his waist. He whispered "goodnight" into Harry's ear and allowed his own eyes to slowly close. He blinked a few times as he fell asleep and managed to a catch a faint smile cross Harry's lips before he finally fell into a peaceful sleep.

Today had been quite an ordeal for Harry, but tomorrow was a new day.

* * *

A/N: Ron is finally beginning to understand, but he is yet to find out the full truth from Harry himself. That scene is being saved for a couple more chapters, as is the slash. In the next chapter, you can look forward to Harry's birthday party and the arrival of Sirius and Remus. Yea! 


	12. Of Godfathers and Guardians

**Chapter 12- Of Godfathers and Guardians**

Love can make you do things you wouldn't ordinarily do….things that would seem ludicrous in any other situation but seem quite rational in the heat of the moment. It has a power that can overwhelm you so completely that you cannot remember a time in which you didn't love the person your heart desires. But mostly importantly, love is blind… for one cannot help for whom they care about most. It ignores gender, race, and even age, for in the end none of that really matters.

In Ron's case, love caused him to crawl into bed beside his best mate in order to keep his night terrors at bay, even when common sense and good judgment would have told him to do otherwise. If he had stopped long enough to think about it he would have realized just how strange this was, but he didn't want to think about it. Before he even consciously knew what he was doing, Ron had felt himself lying down beside Harry again, hoping that he was doing the right thing. His friend hadn't seemed to mind when he slept beside him before, so he took a chance that he wouldn't mind him doing it again.

His heart had begun to pound inside his chest and his entire body had felt tensed with the anticipation of receiving some sort of rejection. Stealing a sideways glance at Harry, Ron almost let out a sigh of relief when that didn't happen.

Settling down into the covers, he remembered that odd situation the morning before when his mother came knocking on his bedroom door. He really didn't want to have to deal with all of that again, so Ron made a mental note to get up before Harry so that his mother wouldn't become suspicious. He knew that he was probably sending him mixed signals with all of his odd behaviors, but it couldn't be helped. He was young and inexperienced and honestly didn't know what the hell he was doing. His heart was leading him to Harry, but his mind was screaming to stop this madness before he got too carried away with his flight of fancy.

As amazing as it seemed, Ron had never felt happier until the moment he loosely wrapped his arms around Harry's slim waist and whispered "goodnight" softly into his ear.

What Harry didn't know was that when Ron said "goodnight," what he really meant was "I love you."

And oh how he loved him.

Ron now realized it for what it was. He was only now just accepting what that all meant. At least now he understood why his body seemed to respond to Harry instead of Hermione.

The whole idea of a guy liking another guy wasn't something Ron was familiar with, but understood now what he was. Although he hadn't told his family, he knew well enough to know that they would never shun him. He wasn't so sure about the rest of the wizarding world, however. Homosexuality wasn't uncommon, but it wasn't exactly embraced either.

Ron desperately wanted to tell the younger boy his feelings about him, but it never felt like the right time. And there was the horrible prospect that Harry wouldn't feel the same about him and that it would destroy their friendship. Losing Harry was the worst thing Ron could imagine happening. The third task of the Triwizard Tournament had taught him that.

For some reason he only felt comfortable reaching out to his friend intimately at night, under the guise that he was helping him ward off any possible nightmares.

As odd as it was to sleep beside his best friend all night, there was something that just felt so right about it. Cuddling beneath the blankets, sharing each others warmth was an experience that Ron felt himself desperately clinging to… praying that it meant something more… that Harry felt the same… that they might actually spend a life time sharing the same bed together if things continued to progress the way they had. There was such a sense of security and intimacy in such a simple act as sleeping beside one another.

Ron also loved knowing that he was able to comfort Harry in some small way. In the past he had always felt so useless as he watched when his friend got himself out of one situation or another. That had never been so poignant until Ron saw Harry disappear in the maze at the end of last year and there was nothing he could do to help him.

He didn't have a clue as to when he had become so protective of Harry, it had started so gradually. But now all he could think about was the beautiful young man lying beside him and how he wished with all his heart that Harry was feeling the same about him. He had made himself a solemn promise never to let his friend face anything alone again, which meant everything from standing beside him in the face of danger to sleeping beside Harry to ward off nightmares.

Looking back, Ron was glad that he did lie beside him all night. They had both been restless after such a long day, but Harry seemed to be having a little more difficulty falling asleep.

That night, he was certain that Harry had woken up from some horrible dream. Ron had been torn from his own restless sleep when he heard Harry gasp aloud and sit bolt upright beside him. He seemed disoriented, so Ron did the only thing he could think of and rubbed his back and reminded him that he was safe. Harry sighed deeply and then stroked the scar on his forehead with his fingers almost absentmindedly. Ron wondered if it was "prickling," as Harry liked to say.

When asked if he was okay, Harry nodded quietly though refused to say what he had dreamt about. Ron noticed through the dimly room that Harry had smiled appreciatively at him before snuggling up beside him once again. He decided to lay there a long while afterward, still rubbing Harry's back lovingly, before he allowed himself to fall back to sleep. He needed to make sure Harry was truly okay. As far as he knew, Harry had no other nightmares that night.

The next morning, Ron felt almost disheartened when he awoke early to see the rising sun. With the light of day came the realization that "friends" really weren't supposed to hold one another close while they slept at night, especially friends who were both male. It was somehow easier to comfort his friend in the darkness, when they could pretend that what they were doing was alright. He wondered if he should move away from Harry, before things became awkward again, seeing how his arms were still wrapped around him.

Unable to decide what to do, Ron opted to lie there quietly and study the object of his affection. He had just found a quite cute set of freckles on the back of Harry's neck, when he suddenly felt Harry stir lightly beside him. Ron held his breath hoping that Harry would stay asleep a little while longer, so that he continue to study him. Fortunately, Harry snorted softly and went back to sleep.

The warm red rays of the sun continued to filter through Ron's open window as the sun rose, illuminating his small room and casting long shadows into all of its dusty corners. Oddly enough, the ominous glow seemed to subdue the shocking bright orange color of the walls rather than magnify it. They now appeared to be almost dark red, and he found that he quite liked the color. It reminded him of the curtains that hung around his four poster bed in the Gryffindor tower.

As Ron lay there, contemplating possibly changing the color of the walls, he realized that that the rest of his siblings were probably still asleep. The Weasley clan tended to be late risers in general, and Ron was no exception. And yet he found he could sleep no longer. There were too many things on his mind.

He just knew that there was more going on with Harry the he was willing to let on. After what he overheard last night, Ron was almost positive now that his friend had been treated cruelly while staying with his relatives. He should have known something was wrong and done something about it. He hated himself for not figuring it out sooner.

He wanted to know exactly what had happened, but he knew that if he pushed Harry into talking about it that he would inevitably deny everything. Or he would try to shrug it off as if it was no big deal and deliver his standard line of, "I'm fine." If he could just find a way to a make Harry understand…

Ron would have loved to have stayed like that all morning, but regrettably his body was horribly cramped from sleeping in relatively one position all night. When he could no longer bear the aching sensation in his arm and shoulder, which were still beneath Harry's body, he stretched ever so slightly so as to not awaken Harry.

He thought he had been careful, but unfortunately Ron felt his friend shift beside him anyway. He sighed heavily and mentally kicked himself for waking Harry up. It had been a long night, full of revelations, dreams, and worry. He knew that Harry probably still needed some sleep so Ron lay quietly hoping that his friend would close his eyes and find peace again.

Instead, Harry blinked open his eyes and stared back at him sleepily. He knew he had been caught watching him. Ron didn't know what to do in that moment. He had planned to get up early to avoid the awkwardness he had created the morning before, but now he seemed to be stuck handling the situation anyway.

"Hi," Ron said stupidly.

"Hi," Harry replied, with a rather odd look on his face. Was he feeling awkward about Ron staring at him? Or was he was as confused and as nervous as Ron was?

Searching for something to say, Ron lamely asked, "Did you sleep okay last night?"

"Yeah," Harry said, smirking a little now.

Ron was surprised by his answer, and raised an eyebrow in inquiry. "Didn't you have a nightmare?"

Harry seemed to blush slightly and his grin deepened. "Yeah, but… I felt b-better after I woke up." Although Harry hadn't said it, Ron knew he was thanking him for helping him get back to sleep.

"That's good," he replied, smiling in return.

Neither one of them said another word after that and Ron was faced with the awkward silence he was dreading earlier. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest again as he grew more and more nervous. How he wished he could just reach out and kiss him. Something told him, however, that now may not be the time.

"Maybe we should get dressed…" he suggested, unsure if it was safe to do anything else.

"Yeah," Harry agreed eagerly.

They both stood up and stretched lazily. Ron made the bed so no one would know that only one had been slept in all night and picked out some clothes to wear. He then peeled off his pajama shirt and pulled a faded blue t-shirt over his head. He could feel Harry watching him and he began to grow a bit self conscious. He glanced over and saw the strangest look on Harry's face. Ron didn't know what to make of it.

He didn't even think anything of it as he started to change in front of Harry. Was Harry feeling awkward about them changing together? They did it all the time in their dormitory. Well, at least he and the others did. He had noticed that Harry tended to dress earlier or later than the rest of them for some odd reason.

Ron worriedly began to wonder if Harry wasn't attracted to him the way he wanted him to be. He knew he wasn't much to look at with all of his freckles, but he felt he had a decent body. He had certainly filled out over the years, and his height had created a lengthy muscular look on him. Not wanting to make the situation any worse by asking Harry what was wrong, Ron decided to continue changing. He needed to act as natural as possible or he was going to freak Harry out.

He was just reaching for his pants when he heard Harry mutter, "I-I'm going to use the l-loo…."

He watched in confusion as Harry left the room with his clothes in hand. Had he made him feel uncomfortable? What did he do wrong?

Ron finished changing and then sat down heavily on his bed trying to analyze the situation. Why didn't Harry want to change in front of him?

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he hadn't seen Harry change once since he had been brought to the Burrow. And then he remembered the incident at the pond when Harry got upset at the twins for trying to take off his shirt. He also thought about the conversation he had overhead with Harry and his parents. For the life of him Ron couldn't figure out what was he hiding, but whatever it was, it had to be something big for Harry to be acting like this. He feared for the worst, not knowing what to expect.

Ron painfully swallowed the knot that had begun in his throat and decided he needed to think all this through before he confronted Harry again. He headed downstairs and met Harry on the landing, coming out of the bathroom.

They wordlessly made their way down the rest of the stairs and found the kitchen completely empty. Ron figured his father must have already left for work, and that his mother was probably outside working in her garden. Taking a quick peek out the window, Ron saw his plump mother kneeling beside some of her prized tomato plants inspecting them for harmful insects. The pest repelling charms always wore off quickly and needed to be reapplied regularly. His mother didn't mind however, her garden was her sanctuary.

Seeing her so wrapped up in her work, Ron hated to bother her to come make them breakfast. Instead he came up with the idea to make Harry something to eat himself. Surely doing something nice like that would help win Harry over. It certainly wasn't really a romantic gesture, but it was a start.

"Feel like some breakfast?" the red head asked hesitantly.

"Sure," Harry said with a shrug, taking a seat at the table. Harry seemed to be trying to ignore what had just happened up in Ron's room as much as he was.

"I can't make much… how does porridge sound?" Ron asked, knowing now how sensitive Harry's stomach still was. He figured he probably wouldn't be able to handle bacon and eggs, even if he did know how to prepare it.

"Sounds good," Harry said with a soft smile.

Ron quickly set to work getting the things that he needed. It would take much longer than if his mother was preparing it because he couldn't use magic. He didn't make his own meals very often, and he felt himself floundering as to how much water and oats to add to the pan. As many times as he had watched his mother make porridge, it simply couldn't get it right. First he added too many oats and then too much water. He could feel Harry's eyes watching from behind and he grew agitated at his growing failure. It always seemed as if he couldn't do anything right. He hated being a bumbling idiot all the time.

"Sorry mate… this isn't turning out right!" he said in frustration. "Mum never buys the box of oats with directions on how to make this slop. I'm kind of winging it here." He hated having to admit that, but it was clear that the mess in front of him wasn't turning out right. The least he could do was explain.

Ron suddenly smelled the acrid scent of something burning and when he stirred pan, he discovered the oats on the bottom had turned into a charred mess.

"Would you like some help?" Harry asked tentatively, joining him beside the counter.

"You think you can do any better? Go ahead!" Ron said, a little too rudely. His first opportunity to do something nice for Harry and he already screwed it up. He sat down with a huff at the kitchen table and crossed his arms over his chest.

Harry sighed and took the pan to the sink where it could be washed later and got out a new one. He carefully measured the ingredients, added them to the pan, and turned down the heat. In minutes the oats were done and spooned into two bowls, with fresh cream poured over them. Harry then added some brown sugar and maple syrup and set both bowls on the kitchen table.

Ron watched him in awe, noticing for the first time how well Harry seemed to move around the kitchen. "When did you learn how to cook?" he blurted out.

"It's only porridge, Ron. Not a gourmet meal…" Harry replied, taking the opportunity to retrieve one of his nutritional potions from the pantry. He downed the blue liquid in one gulp and took a seat across from Ron.

"Yeah, but you knew just what to do and there were no instructions on the box of oats or anything!" Ron replied, somewhat impressed. He took a bite of his porridge and marveled that it tasted as good as his mother's.

Harry sighed again, and dipped his spoon into his porridge, moving it around distractedly. "Listen… I used to cook for the Dursleys all the time… I guess you could say that I was sort of their house elf…"

Ron was shocked that Harry had openly admitted that to him. He was usually so closed off about his relatives. There was suddenly a tension between them, so Ron decided to say something to ease the situation. "I'm sorry, mate… for being such a prat a minute ago… I just got frustrated that I couldn't do something as simple as make porridge…"

"It's alright…" Harry replied softly, seeming to forgive him.

"This is really good," Ron said, taking in another mouthful. "What else can you cook?"

"I guess most things… it's really not all that hard," Harry replied nonchalantly.

There were a few moments of silence as both boys ate their meal. Ron, being such a fast eater, finished before Harry and found that there were still some things that he wanted to know. Like why Harry wouldn't change in front of him and why he didn't want to testify at the court hearing for his uncle's drunk driving.

"Harry, what happened to you at the Dursleys?" he asked casually.

Harry's spoon dropped into the bowl and he looked up at him almost fearfully. "W-what?"

Ron hated having to ask any of this, but he just had to know. "You said you were their house elf, and in our world house elves are not treated very nicely. I know that you and your relatives didn't get along… and well… I want to know what happened to you at the Dursleys?"

"N-nothing…" Harry replied quickly, looking down at the table.

"C'mon Harry you can tell me…" he prodded. "I know something must have happened to make you this upset… right?"

"I don't w-want to talk about it okay… why c-can't everyone just leave me alone!" Harry said angrily.

Ron watched as Harry then snatched up both bowls and took them to the sink to be washed with the pan. Ron had noticed that Harry hadn't even finished his porridge, but knew better than to make a big deal about it. As Harry turned on the water and rolled up his sleeves, Ron went over to him and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you… I just worry about you. We all do…"

"Well, you don't have to. I'm fine," Harry replied, leaning against the sink.

Ron found he didn't have the will to reply to that blanket statement yet again. He reached over and turned off the water. "Don't worry about cleaning up… that's the twins' job this week. They pulled another prank on poor Gin and mum gave them dish detail."

"I don't mind," Harry said earnestly.

It appeared that Harry wasn't going to be very forthcoming right now about his relatives, so Ron didn't want to push the issue again. Hopefully Harry would feel comfortable telling him over time. Ron looked down at his solemn face and realized that grilling his small friend for information was not how he had intended to spend the day. What they needed right now was a bit of fun.

"Well I do mind, now c'mon… let's do something," Ron whined playfully, tugging on his arm.

"Like what?" Harry asked, smiling at the red head's sudden childish behavior.

"Feel up to a fly?" Ron suggested. He was hoping to turn this day around yet.

Harry nodded and smiled brightly, seeming to appreciate the abrupt subject change. He pulled away from Ron and then looked over his shoulder and said, "Beat you to the oak tree!"

Before Ron even knew what he said, Harry had grabbed his broom from the corner of the kitchen (where he had left it last night), and ran outside.

Ron chased after him and yelled, "Hey, no fair! I still have to get a broom from the shed!" But Harry was too far gone to hear.

By the time Ron was actually air borne, Harry was already flying circles around the tree, mocking him for not having gotten his broom faster. Left with no other choice but to seek revenge, Ron began chasing his friend around the Burrow, periodically flying low to pick up pine cones and acorns, which he promptly hurled at Harry.

Unfortunately, Harry's seeker reflexes were much too good, so he ended up catching most of them before they ever hit him. Discovering a new way to hone their Quidditch abilities, they spent the rest of the morning playing this version of "catch" on their brooms. Harry seemed to find enjoyment in making Ron dive to catch the acorns he threw to him.

He had noticed that his mother had watched their antics for a short while before heading inside with her freshly picked vegetables. Ron was grateful that for once he and Harry were able to fly alone. The twins and Ginny had either found something else to do that morning or their mother had told them to leave Harry be after what had happened at the swimming hole yesterday.

After several hours, they were quite sweaty and tired. They plopped down on the porch and enjoyed some lemonade and sandwiches that Ron's mother had brought them. Their light-hearted moods were decidedly different from then what they had been this morning in the kitchen, and Ron was hoping that it would last a little while longer. It was rare that both of them were so playful and happy at the same time.

Suddenly, Ron's eye caught something moving in the distance, "Was dat?" he asked, through a mouthful of food.

"Huh?"

Ron swallowed quickly. "What's that?" he asked again, pointing towards the trees. Harry looked past his hand and squinted his eyes trying to see what he was talking about. He looked back at him quickly realizing what they were both seeing. Neither of them knew what to do.

They could see two dark forms moving towards them in the distance, like living shadows amongst the tall trees. It appeared to be two men, but from this distance they were unable to make out who they were. They sat beside one another, breathlessly, wondering whether or not these men posed some sort of threat.

The dark shapes were still looming ever closer when all of a sudden the figure on the left broke away from the other. It seemed as if it had fallen forward and become slightly smaller, like it had shifted its shape somehow. With the sudden burst of energy the shadowy creature increased its pace dramatically, and began sprinting towards them at an alarming speed. The image of the creature racing towards them was quite unsettling and both Ron and Harry reached for the wands quickly. (Both of them had taken to carrying their wands with them at all times since Voldemort's rebirth).

However, they soon realized that there wasn't ever a need to be concerned. Within a few more yards, Ron and Harry were able to recognize what was coming toward them. It was a large black dog that looked oddly familiar. It even began barking excitedly as it drew near to them.

Harry leapt to his feet and called out. "Sirius?" He took a quite a few steps away from the porch, trying to determine if what he was seeing was real or not.

Feeling relieved, Ron quickly joined his side, watching Harry's face closely. He knew how much his godfather meant to him, and he was glad that they were able to contact the man in time for Harry's birthday.

"Hey!" Harry shouted happily, calling out to the only true father figure he had ever known.

The large black dog continued in a bee line straight toward Harry. Upon reaching him, the dog tackled him to the ground and began to lick his face affectionately. "Ooomph…" Harry grunted, as he was forced flat on his back. Ron couldn't help but notice Harry wince slightly, as if his back were bothering him somehow.

Sirius's dog form began whining and continued to lick Harry's hands and face.

"Ew… Sirius…stop it…" Harry said, giggling with glee as he tried to push the large dog off of him. Sirius apparently didn't want to stop and was enjoying torturing his godson with his canine antics.

Remus Lupin, who had been the other figure walking towards them, jogged his way over to them, smiling at this friend's behavior.

"C'mon Padfoot… leave the poor boy alone…" Remus scolded, grabbing Sirius by the scruff of his neck and pulling him off of Harry. Sirius let out one last whine in disappointment before he decided to transform back into his human form, kneeling beside Harry.

Harry sat up still laughing, but remained sitting on the ground. "Nice to see you too, Sirius. But ew… seriously, that was gross!" he commented, wiping his face thoroughly with the sleeve of his shirt. Sirius was laughing right long with him.

"Hello, Professor Lupin," Ron said politely as he watched the exchange between Harry and Sirius.

"Hello, Ron… and please call me Remus. I haven't been your professor in over a year," Remus replied.

"Alright," Ron replied, feeling a little apprehensive about calling any adult besides his brothers by their first name.

Sirius, who had been waiting until Harry finished wiping his face clean, suddenly said, "Are you alright, Harry?"

"Yeah, I'm fine… it was just a little dog saliva…" Harry said sheepishly, as he wiped his face once more. "Gross!"

"That's not what I mean… I got a very alarming letter from the Weasleys from an Order member sent to find us. They said that you were in a very serious car accident a week ago. I've been very worried about you!" Sirius explained.

"Oh yeah… that… I'm okay…" Harry said reassuringly.

"Are you sure?" Sirius asked, looking his godson's body over now at little more carefully.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Good as new!" Harry said with a smile, holding out his arms to show he was still in one piece.

Sirius sighed in relief, and suddenly wrapped his arms around Harry in a bone-crushing hug. Harry stiffened immediately and winced yet again. Ron couldn't imagine what might be wrong with his back to cause him to wince like that. Hadn't Madame Pomfrey healed him after the accident? What could be causing Harry so much discomfort?

Harry seemed to relax after a bit and plastered a smile on his face, though Ron could tell that the smile was forced and that Harry was only being polite.

Sirius finally released his grip on Harry and said, "Tell me what happened."

"There's not much to say… my uncle was drunk driving and caused an accident…" Harry replied, choosing to stand up once again.

Sirius rose by his side and began to probe him for questions. Ron and Remus could do nothing but watch the exchange helplessly. Sirius continued to grill Harry for details about his injuries, what happened in the Muggle hospital, how they were healed, if he is still in pain, what happened to his uncle, how he got help, etc. Harry was very evasive in his answers, and Ron couldn't help but notice not only his nervousness, but also how bad his stutter was getting. He hadn't really told Sirius much of anything, and his godfather was growing more and more irritated.

"I'm f-fine, okay? Don't make a big d-deal out of this…" Harry pleaded.

"Harry… I just feel like there is more to the story…" Sirius sighed heavily and crossed his arms over chest, giving Harry a good long hard look.

"Why don't we go inside?" Ron suggested, picking up the plates and glasses from their lunch.

"It would be nice to get out this heat…" Sirius replied, "And I'd like to speak with your parents, Ron."

"Oh, well only Mum is home right now," he said, leading the others inside. He quickly deposited the dishes in the sink and came to stand beside Harry, to show support. Remus and Sirius both seemed to be studying Harry, waiting for answers. The black haired teen refused to meet their gaze, and suddenly had found the floor to be very interesting.

When it seemed that Sirius was going to begin pestering Harry again, Ron's mum came into the room. She stopped dead in her tracks when she realized who was standing in her kitchen.

"Hello, Molly," Remus said politely. "Thanks for writing to us about Harry's situation."

"I see that you made it back…" his mother said curtly. Ron couldn't miss the underlying tone of disapproval in his mother's voice. She had never cared for Sirius, and often made little comments about how reckless and dangerous he could be.

"Yes, and we have many questions," Sirius replied, taking another chance to cast Harry a long look.

Molly Weasley folded her arms over her chest and nodded uneasily. "I understand. Ron, why don't you and Harry go upstairs and work on some homework so that we can talk," she suggested.

Ron knew better than to argue. "C'mon, Harry. Might as well. Hermione will have kittens when she learns we haven't even finished our essay for History of Magic."

"Alright," Harry agreed.

"We'll talk more later, Harry," Sirius said, a little more softly this time. He took a moment to reach out to his godson once more by placing a hand on Harry's shoulder as he walked away.

Harry nodded and then followed Ron upstairs. Both boys heard his Mum cast a silencing spell over the kitchen as they trudged upstairs with heavy steps. Ron could only wonder what they would discuss. Too bad Harry was with him this time. He would have loved a chance to use the Extendable Ears again.

* * *

Arthur dipped his quill into the ink pot on his desk and began filling out his report on the department's latest acquisition- Bottomless Beer Mugs. A couple of young wizards who decided to go to a local Muggle University and had taken it upon themselves to create these ingenious devices so that they never had to pay for alcohol when they went out drinking with their friends. 

The mugs were cleverly spelled so that they refilled themselves with a pub's house beer, using a complex charm involving transfiguring and levitation. Apparently the pair had been bringing the mugs with them to the same pub every night, and the owners finally realized that they were always drinking, but had never ordered a thing. One waiter even saw the mugs seem to refill from thin air. The Ministry had to send Arnold Peasegood from the Obliviator's Headquarters to correct the matter, while Arthur was sent to the boy's dormitory on campus to retrieve the Muggle artifact.

He added his last notation to his report and filed the document away. He then sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes tiredly. It had certainly been a long afternoon, and he was in no mood to sort through the mess that had accumulated on the file cabinet beside his desk. He was just about to reach for the file on top when he heard his assistant, Genevieve, call for him from within the other room.

"Arthur, I think the floo is for you…" she called.

Grateful for the break in the monotony, he stood up and walked towards the fireplace that was housed in the room adjoining his office, trying to ignore the amused look on Genevieve's face. The young witch liked to stick her nose in his private affairs, and always had to comment on something or other. Although she hadn't ever said as much, she implied that she thought that Molly had Arthur completely whipped into shape, answering to her every beckoning call. Arthur would only smile politely when she started making her off-handed comments, and mentally remind himself that this young woman had yet to know what it is like to be in a loving marriage.

"Yes, dear. What is it?" he replied, when he saw his wife's head sticking out of the flames.

"I need you to come home…" she began.

Arthur saw Genevieve snicker from her desk and replied, "I'm not sure I can. I'm simply swamped here at the moment, and-"

"Arthur, the guests we have been waiting for have finally arrived and they are demanding to know… about you know what…" Molly tried to explain, knowing quite well how nosey Arthur's coworkers could be.

"Oh yes… yes, of course…" he replied, realizing who she meant. "I'll be there in just a moment."

He watched as Molly nodded and then removed her head from the fireplace. He hated to leave work early and the Ministry certainly frowned upon it, but he was left with no other choice. Right now, Harry's welfare was far more important than losing a few hours pay.

He turned to his assistant and asked, "Do you know when Jordan will be back?" Jordan Mannon was his other coworker here in this department, and if he was going to leave then the younger man would be left in charge.

"He didn't say… are you leaving?" she asked, the smirk still on her face. He already knew what she was thinking.

"Yes. Please tell Jordan that I had to leave on a personal matter, but that I will be back in the morning. You may contact me if it is an emergency, but otherwise I am not to be disturbed. Understand?" he asked, sensing that he was probably speaking to her more firmly than necessary.

"Yes, of course," she replied quickly, upon hearing his tone.

Arthur grabbed his summer cloak from the hook beside the door and quickly made his way to the Aurors' Headquarters, which was on he same level as his department. There was one more thing he needed to do before he left for home.

Ignoring the receptionist in the lobby of the Aurors' office, he strode through the long hallway until he came upon a large grouping of cubicles. He turned right and began searching each cube, looking for a particular young witch. Oddly, enough the Aurors that were in the department today, didn't pay him any mind. He figured it was because he had worked for the Ministry for so long, that most people knew who he was by now. He soon spotted a shock of jet black hair, pulled into a long ponytail. He made his way straight towards Tonks, who appeared to be hard at work looking over a set of documents.

"Arthur? What is it? Is something wrong?" Tonks exclaimed as soon as she saw him come into view. Arthur had never tried to communicate with her in this office before, so his presence must have startled her. They have always met about Order business in his department, which tended be abandoned most of the time when his coworkers were out investigating a claim. Order members made it a strict rule never to speak in public unless absolutely necessary.

He smiled politely to reassure her. "Everything is fine. Your cousin is back with Lupin…I'm afraid he is going to want some answers. Have you gotten a chance to do what we talked about?" he asked in a hushed voice.

Tonks looked about nervously. "Yes," she whispered. "I have good news, but it's going involve Harry's cooperation."

He sighed heavily, knowing how difficult gaining his son's friend's cooperation on this matter. "Yes well, that still remains to be seen. So what's the good news?" he asked.

She smiled brightly and her now violet colored eyes shone with excitement. "If you don't mind, I'd rather wait until we are all together. There is quite a lot to go through, but I think we may have a solution to our dilemma."

Arthur was a little disappointed, but seeing that he was in a hurry anyways, he didn't mind that Tonks was going to wait to reveal all that she had discovered. "Alright…Can you stop by the Burrow tonight before you go home and give us a briefing on your findings?"

"No problem… I should be able to get out of here in a few minutes. Is that alright?" the young witch asked.

Arthur nodded. "Yes, that'll be fine. Just one other thing… will you contact Dumbledore and tell him to Floo to the Burrow. He will want to be apprised of the situation, as well."

"Will do," Tonks replied. "See you soon." She turned her back to Arthur as she began gathering up the paperwork on her desk.

Arthur quickly left the young Order member and made his way out of the Auror's Headquarters and into the main hallway. There he found a fireplace that wasn't being used, grabbed a handful of Floo powder from the mantle, and Flooed his way home. Traveling in this manner wasn't his favorite, but with the new wards surrounding the Burrow, it was the only way he could get home.

He stepped out of the flames and was greeted by the familiar sight of his kitchen. He noticed immediately that Remus Lupin and Sirius Black were sitting at the kitchen table, waiting quietly. Both men looked extremely tired, and their clothing and worn appearance reflected their long and difficult journey over the past month. Each was leaning back against their chair, arms folded over their chest, with a thoughtful look on their faces.

Molly had yet to acknowledge that he had arrived home. She was standing at the kitchen sink busying her self with making tea and seemed oddly quiet. Arthur could feel the tension in the room almost instantly and wondered what words had been exchanged before he came home. He quickly launched into making the gentlemen that had arrived comfortable in his home. He knew better than to confront his wife now in front of these men.

"Sirius… Remus…you made it back!" Arthur said warmly, reaching out to grasp each man's hand tightly in his own, before he took a seat across from them.

"It took us longer that we expected, but yes we did…" Remus explained quietly.

"When did you get here?" he asked.

"Only a short while ago," Remus answered again. Sirius seemed to be quiet as his wife and he wondered what they were both thinking right now.

Without asking Molly placed four steaming cups of tea on the table, one in front of each them. She then sat down beside her husband and wrapped her hands around the steaming mug.

"Thank you," the three men said politely.

Molly merely nodded and sipped her tea. Her expression was contemplative and anxious, and Arthur noted that she seemed to be waiting for someone to make the next move. Then tension in the room seemed grow exponentially with each passing minute because of Molly's odd behavior. She was not often a quiet person, so the fact that she was so now was almost unsettling. Like a cat lying in wait to pounce on its next victim. The jovial Molly that everyone knew was lying dormant for the moment, assessing the situation and calculating her move, ever the strategist. Even her notorious temper seemed to be in check. It was easy to see who Ron took after.

A few quiet moments passed as they sipped their tea, each one wondering where they should begin. "Well…we're so glad that you could make in time for Harry's surprise party tomorrow!" Arthur said, a little more exuberantly than necessary. He felt like he had to make up for his wife's odd behavior. "Harry must have been so excited to see you both! It's good to have you back!" He smiled at them affectionately, hoping to break the ice a bit.

"It's good to be back," Sirius replied finally, smiling back wanly.

"We've been gone far too long," Remus added, before sipping his tea again.

No one said another word, so Arthur tried again. "I hate to ask, seeing as you just got here and everything, but did your mission turn out as we hoped?" he asked, attempting to make small talk to ease the situation.

Sirius took a deep breath, pushed his mug of tea away from him and leveled Arthur with his piercing gaze. "Listen Arthur, I appreciate all of this cordial discourse… but I came here to discuss my godson, not Order business… so if you would kindly tell me what the hell is going on with Harry, I would appreciate it," Sirius replied firmly, his lips now pursed together in quiet determination.

Surprised by his outburst, Arthur looked back and forth between his wife and Sirius. He had thought that Molly would have at least said something to quell Sirius's curiosity. Sensing what he was thinking, Sirius added, "Your wife refused to tell us anything until you arrived home."

Remus nodded and then glanced at Sirius and then back at him nervously. Sirius was known to be something of a hot head and it was clear Remus was prepared to intervene should this conversation take a nasty turn.

Arthur looked to his wife for guidance, but she wasn't willing to meet his gaze. She sipped her tea slowly, and stared at the wood grain on the table. "What has Harry told you so far?" he asked Sirius.

"The same as I was told in the awful letter you sent me… almost nothing! I know something more is going on, and if Harry won't tell me then you will," Sirius said, almost angrily.

"Well we wouldn't have to tell you anything if you had been here in the first place!" Molly suddenly snapped, as she set her mug down on the table noisily. "Harry needed you and you weren't there!"

"Molly!" Arthur admonished.

Sirius looked indignant at Molly's accusatory tone. "What kind of comment is that! You of all people should know that I wanted Harry to stay with me this summer at Headquarters, but I was denied that right. Dumbledore insisted he return to his relatives. I was going crazy locked up in that house. I had no other choice but to make myself useful to the Order... an organization, I might add, that you are a member of!"

"I don't care what your excuse is. I know you couldn't bring him to headquarters, but you should have found a way. That child needed you and you weren't there! You don't know what he's been through!" Molly shouted tearfully.

"She doesn't mean to be so-" Arthur tried to explain, but found he didn't know how to complete his sentence.

Sirius stared open mouthed at Molly trying to make sense of why he was suddenly being attacked. "It's not my fault that I'm a wanted criminal! I was wrongly accused and you know that. What would you have had me do? Take Harry with me on the run? What kind of life is that?"

"Better than the one he has lived…" Molly said, her eyes now spilling over with anguished tears. Embarrassed by her overwhelming emotions, she got up from her chair and made her way to the kitchen counter. It appeared she was no longer able to carry on this conversation civilly, so she turned her attention to cutting up some fresh vegetables that were waiting beside the sink.

Arthur knew from past experience that he was on his own from here. In the past, when the boys' antics got too much to handle, Molly always left it up to Arthur to sort things out. She just took everything too personally at times, to be an impartial judge.

Sirius was stunned into silence, as Remus and Arthur met each other's worried gazes. Arthur really couldn't say that he was surprised by her behavior towards Harry's godfather. Molly had always felt that Sirius wasn't exactly the most ideal father figure in Harry's life, and hotly protested any and all attempts Sirius had made in the past about Harry coming to live with him. Part of her still couldn't believe that it was Pettigrew that had betrayed the Potters and not Sirius. But maybe somewhere inside she was realizing that Harry might have been better off with Sirius than the Dursleys.

"What does she mean by that, Arthur?" Sirius asked, finding his voice again.

Arthur Weasley sighed deeply, knowing that this conversation was going to be difficult. "I guess I should start from the beginning. I know I told you some of this in the letter, but just listen anyway…" Sirius and Remus both nodded. "Harry had taken a job working at a local veterinarian to help out his relatives. Apparently Vernon Dursley had lost his job and couldn't find work that paid as well, so Harry was forced to help out. For whatever reason his uncle had started drinking heavily, and decided to pick Harry up from work one night. It was raining heavily and he showed up drunk. The combination caused a car accident, which sent both Harry and his uncle to St. Andrew's Hospital." Arthur paused for a moment trying to decide the best way to describe what they learned next.

"Yes, we know this… what haven't you said yet?" Remus asked. The expression on his face told Arthur that he was just as worried about Harry as Sirius was.

"Well…Harry had quite a few injuries and when the doctors went to examine him they found some other injuries that… well that couldn't have occurred in the accident," he said slowly. "Do you understand what I'm saying?" He wanted them to understand what had happened to Harry, but he also didn't want to undermine Harry's trust. It was up to him if he wanted to tell them all the details.

Sirius looked over at Remus worriedly and indeed they were beginning to understand what he meant. To clarify, he added, "The doctors found numerous bruises at various stages of healing and welt marks on his back…"

Arthur could see Molly visibly stiffen out of the corner of his eye, but she had yet to turn around again. They could hear Molly sniffle every so often, listening to their conversation.

"God damn it! I should have known that son of a bitch was hurting Harry! I knew we never should have trusted those awful Muggles. Damn it!" Sirius shouted, as he jumped up. His chair scooted back noisily hitting the kitchen counter behind him.

"Are you sure Arthur?" Remus asked unnecessarily, his pale face looking at him searchingly, trying to understand. Arthur could only nod in response as he watched Sirius pace angrily back and forth across the kitchen, pulling at his hair with fisted hands.

"Why didn't Harry say anything?" Remus asked, still trying to probe him for information. "Surely he must know that we would do anything to protect him."

"I don't really know…" Arthur answered sadly.

Sirius whipped around and flattened his palms against the table, leaning onto the table. Whether if was for physical support or to intimidate him into answering more questions, Arthur didn't know. "What did they do to him?" Sirius asked.

"I don't know…" he said again lamely.

"What do you mean you don't know!" Sirius shouted angrily. "Tell me what happened to him!"

Arthur sighed, knowing that Sirius's anger was misdirected. "I don't know, alright… Harry hasn't given us many of the details. The explanation he gave us may not even be the whole truth. I don't think he would have even told us if it hadn't been for his social worker."

"Social worker?" Remus and Sirius both asked at once in confusion. The term was Muggle in origin, so neither of them probably knew what a social worker was.

Arthur groaned inwardly. There was still so much to explain. "Yes… there is a lot to tell you about Harry's guardianship now that he has been removed from the Dursleys. Tonks and Dumbledore will be here shortly and we'll explain it all."

"My cousin? How is she involved in this?" Sirius asked.

"I'll explain everything in a little bit… just please be patient…" Arthur pleaded. He felt a headache coming on and he was in no mood to deal with a screaming godfather.

"So they were beating him?" Sirius asked, dragging his chair back over the table and sitting down again across from him. Some of the rage he had earlier had dissipated. Now a new emotion took precedence in the man's haunted eyes… sadness.

"Yes…"

"How long?" Sirius asked, closing his pale grey eyes as he waited for an answer.

"I don't know… but I think as long as he has been in the Dursley's care…" Arthur said carefully. He took a sip of his tea hoping for a bit of warmth, but found that it was cold now and unsatisfying.

Sirius opened his eyes again, but this time he stared at the ceiling of the kitchen, seemingly blinking away the glossy tears that now coated his eyes.

"What else did they do to him?" Remus asked, seeing how his friend was becoming distraught.

Arthur was going to respond, but found that Molly had beaten him to it. "He was neglected in every way imaginable…" her voice shaking with emotion, her face streaked with tears. "He lived in a cupboard, forced to do chores like some sort of house elf, denied the right to be loved…denied proper clothing and food… "

"Denied food? Who denies a child food?" Remus seemed utterly appalled.

"Those god awful people that hurt him… that's who!" Molly shouted. "He should have never been there in the first place!"

"I want that bastard to pay for what he has done…" Sirius replied suddenly. "Arthur, what has been done about Dursley?"

"I'll explain in just a moment… we're still waiting on two guests…"

"But why cant you-" Sirius began to complain.

Remus cut him off by putting a hand on his arm. "Settle down, friend. I'm sure they'll explain everything."

"But I don't understand… why didn't Harry say anything?" Sirius asked again.

"Because he was programmed to think that he deserved it…" Molly said, a little more softly.

The adults sat in silence once again, thinking over what she said. In a lot of ways it was probably true. The floo suddenly fired up, catching everyone off guard, and Tonks stepped out of the fireplace.

"Hello," she tried to say brightly, but the awful tension in the room diminished some of her cheerfulness.

Arthur quickly rose to his feet and led her over to an empty seat at the table. He then took his wife by the arm and led her back over as well. "There is a lot to say, and I would appreciate it if we kept a civil tongue." Molly nodded and wiped away the remaining tears.

Sirius huffed loudly and crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine… tell us what is going on… because I would really like to know how I can make Dursley pay. If he isn't going to jail or Azkaban or something, I'm going to personally wring his neck…"

"Yes, well that might not be necessary," Tonks explained. "Dumbledore said he would be here shortly. There was something he needed to do first."

"Then I guess we should just begin." Arthur took a deep breath. "Alright, this is a bit complicated, so I'm going to try and explain this to the best of my ability… the night Ron received Harry's message the Order called a meeting. It was decided that Molly and I would pose as Harry's relatives and Tonks would be our lawyer… we went to the hospital to retrieve Harry and discovered about the abuse from the social worker-"

"What's a social worker?" Sirius interrupted.

"Someone who is assigned to a child abuse case. They investigate the family and decide if the child should be removed from the home," Arthur explained.

"That makes sense. Go on…" said Remus.

"Needless to say, we were shocked to learn what had happened to him. And apparently, Harry wasn't the only one being hurt. His aunt was being beaten as well. The circumstances were complicated. Because Harry refused to talk about the situation, they couldn't determine if Petunia was responsible for the neglect as well or merely defending her nephew. Left with no other choice, they were going to send him to a Children's Home. It's a good thing we showed up when we did."

"Vernon was beating Petunia? I find that hard to believe…" Remus commented.

"Well I saw his handiwork first hand, so I assure you that he was beating her. But that doesn't excuse the fact that she allowed him to hurt Harry for many years before that," said Arthur. "I'm sure that she is the one to blame for starving him and working him like a house elf."

"I know she is," Molly added tearfully.

"So how did you get Harry out of there?" Sirius asked.

"It took some convincing but I managed to convince the social worker, Margaret Mitchell, that we were relatives of Harry on his father side and that we had paperwork granting us permission to take Harry from the hospital…"

"How did you manage all that?" Remus asked in amazement.

"With an obliviate charm and a clever document we got from Dumbledore. It was spelled to turn into the paperwork the social worker was expecting to see," Arthur explained.

Sirius was thoughtful for a moment. "They granted you permission to take Harry… doesn't that mean that they gave you guardianship?"

Molly nodded. "Yes, it does…"

"You're Harry's guardians?" he asked uncertainly, looking back and forth between Molly and Arthur with a hurtful look in his eyes.

Tonks intervened and said, "Sirius it was necessary to obtain guardianship in the Muggle world in order to save Harry. The Ministry doesn't know anything about this yet. Besides, it was a forged document… it doesn't mean that you're not his godfather anymore."

"His guardianship in our world has yet to be determined," Arthur added, looking to Molly to see her reaction.

He knew that his wife was secretly afraid that Sirius might somehow take Harry away from them, and she desperately did not want that to happen. She felt that it was her place to take care of the boy now that they had "rescued," and Arthur couldn't help but agree with her. Harry needed a strong, secure family environment if he ever had any hope of recovering from his abusive past.

"Anyway," Arthur continued, "the doctor and social worker still thought the situation was a little odd, with us getting guardianship so quickly and all… so they demanded us to leave a phone number where we could be contacted."

"I left them my number to my flat in London," said Tonks. "Yesterday I received a phone call about their concern over Harry and alerting us that there will be two trials."

"Trials?" Remus asked.

"Yes. The first trial is to determine if Vernon Dursley is guilty of manslaughter. The other driver involved in the accident died of heart complications a few days ago, and I think his family is suing Dursley. The court wants Harry's testimony about what happened in the accident," said Tonks. "The other trial is to determine if Vernon is guilty of criminal abuse and negligence of a minor. Harry's testimony is needed in this trial too. They want to go after Petunia too, but I don't think they can make any of the charges stick since she was being harmed as well."

"I'm assuming Harry doesn't want to testify," Remus said quietly.

Arthur nodded. "He has refused to altogether. He doesn't want anyone to know what he has gone through. And I hate to say it, but Harry does have good reason to believe that his story would be dragged through the mud in all the papers before the trial is even over. But without his testimony, Vernon might be allowed to go free. I was hoping you might speak to him, Sirius."

Sirius nodded thoughtfully. "Where is Vernon now?"

"He has been released from the hospital and it awaiting trial," said Tonks.

Sirius nodded again and seemed to be storing that bit of information for later. Molly eyed him carefully seeming to know what he was thinking.

"Couldn't Tonks just take Harry's place and testify for him?" Remus asked.

"Wouldn't work," Tonks explained, smiling sadly. "I have a hard time imitating anyone much smaller or much larger than I am. I can alter my appearance, but not my body mass. Harry is much shorter and thinner than I am. Plus, I'm not very good at impersonating others. The Dursleys would know right away that something was off."

"So then how is all of this going to work?" Remus asked.

"Well I've been doing some research on the Muggle legal system for abuse cases and-" Tonks began, but she stopped in mid-sentence as the floo flared up again. A very tall, aged wizard wearing dark purple robes stepped out of the flames and into the kitchen.

"Sorry for my delay. I hope I haven't missed anything of importance yet," said Dumbledore.

"Nope. I was just going to explain what I've found out," said Tonks. Though her language was informal, her voice was filled with respect for the elder wizard for whom she looked up to as a mentor.

"Then by all means, please proceed," said Dumbledore, taking a seat at the table. "As I understand it, you bring us news."

Tonks retrieved some paperwork from the bag she brought with her and laid the papers on the table. Some looked like photocopies of official looking documents, others contained her handwritten notes. Patting her hand on top as if to indicate that what she was about to say was validated by her research she began.

"Well, the good news is that I've discovered a way for Harry to testify without it becoming public knowledge. We all know how badly the media treats Harry here in the wizarding world, and there are very few laws to regulate what they can report. However, in the Muggle world there are laws protecting children against that unwanted attention. In fact, children that testify in court cannot have their name published in newspapers, have their picture taken, or be interviewed in any way. I think that we might be able to handle this situation so that no one in our world finds out about Harry's testimony," Tonks explained.

Everyone was thoughtful for a moment as they took in that piece of information. Remus spoke up first. "That is good news, but I still worry that information about Harry's case might still leak into our world. There are so many of us living now as Muggles that it's quite possible that some witch or wizard might be present in the courtroom when he testifies. Are we willing to take that chance?"

"Harry won't. And I doubt he would be willing to testify to some crowded room what his bloody uncle did to him," Sirius piped in.

"Actually, this is where my news gets even better…" Tonks replied. "In cases where children are afraid to testify because of the nature of what happened to them, it is possible to request that the minor do a video taped interview. From what I understand, questions are prepared beforehand by both the prosecuting and the defending lawyers and a third party court official asks Harry these questions during an interview in a private room. If both lawyers agree to his testimony, the video tape becomes admissible in court. Harry would never have to testify in person. I also have reason to believe that Harry can do one interview, and that the lawyers can choose what they want to use for both trials."

"That is wonderful news!" Arthur exclaimed. The smile that had appeared on his face, suddenly fell as he realized something. "But if Harry's tape is viewed during the trials, don't we still run the risk of someone from our world seeing it."

"I really don't think we have to worry about that," said Tonks. "These trials tend to be very quiet and small, usually closed to the public. Unless it's someone who is famous, well in the Muggle world, they don't get much attention."

"Well, then this is better than I expected," said Arthur. "With Harry's interview we have a better chance of putting Vernon behind bars."

"The arsehole better be behind bars or I will rip him to shreds for what he did to Harry!" Sirius added angrily.

"I don't think that will be necessary…" Tonks said again.

"What do you think, sir?" Tonks asked Dumbledore. He hadn't said anything since he had sat down and now he seemed to be thinking carefully about everything that had been said.

"I think that this all sounds very plausible, but something tells me that with any good news there must also come the bad," Dumbledore said cryptically. "I believe you have more to tell us Nymphadora, don't you?"

All eyes turned towards Tonks and she gulped audibly. "Yes, I do. I almost don't want to say it because it complicates matters greatly."

"What is it, dear?" Molly asked, growing concerned once again.

"That Margaret Mitchell woman wants to follow up with Harry's case and check on his well being before the trials. She has tried to do a surprise home visit at my flat, since she believes that is where Harry now resides with his guardians, and is concerned about Harry's whereabouts. She also wants to ensure that his injuries are being cared for and that he has been to a doctor since his release from the hospital," Tonks explained.

"Yes, you explained all of this when we read the transcript of her phone call yesterday. How does this complicate things…" Molly began, until she realized where Tonks was going with that. "Oh… oh dear… all of Harry's injuries have been healed…"

Tonks nodded. "Yes, they have. And we very well can't have Harry testify looking as though he were never hurt."

"Glamour charms and bandages can correct that matter. I'm sure Harry could put on a good act if we asked him to," Arthur suggested, knowing how well Harry had deceived them all in the past.

"Transcript?" Sirius asked curiously.

"Yes, the social worker left me a message at my flat in London yesterday. I spelled her lengthy message onto parchment so we could all read it," Tonks explained.

Remus then asked, "May we see the transcript?"

"Sure," Tonks said, sorting through her pile of paperwork. "Here…"

Remus and Sirius took a moment to read through the document. "This social worker is going to want to do a home visit before Harry does an interview, isn't she?"

"Yes, there in lies our biggest problem," Dumbledore added. "If we want Harry to testify against his uncle we must also convince his social worker that he is being adequately cared for. A masquerade of sorts needs to be put in place should we want to proceed."

"The social worker will probably want to conduct a child assessment on Harry during the home visit and write a general welfare report. You're more than welcomed to move into my flat so that Child Protective Services can do a home visit, since they believe that is Harry's current address anyway. You certainly don't want them coming here," Tonks offered, looking around at all the magical things that dotted the small home. It would be impossible to hide it all from Muggle eyes.

"I think we could do that," Arthur replied, looking to his wife to see if she would agree. Molly merely nodded thoughtfully.

Sirius was looking more and more frustrated. "Anything else you want to add?"

Tonks nodded reluctantly. "We also have a problem with Child Protective Services still questioning the abrupt change in guardianship, but I think we can plead that it was issued as an Emergency Order of Protection. If need be one of our obliviators can go in and manipulate the judge's memory, whose name appears on the document, until he is on our side."

"Why is this all so complicated?" Sirius asked tiredly, rubbing his face.

"Well, this is just the reality of the Muggle red tape beginning to catch up with our hastily fudged magical document. I'm afraid that these cogs in the legal system may threaten Harry's guardianship should the Ministry learn of all of this," said Dumbledore sadly.

Remus began shaking his head from side to side in frustration. "Then why go through any of this then if it is all so complicated?"

"Why? How can you ask why?" Molly suddenly exclaimed. "Don't you want to see Dursley behind bars?"

"Well, of course I do. I just know that Harry isn't going to want to agree to all of this. Why put him through it when it's clear that he doesn't want to testify anyway?" Remus asked.

"I understand your concern," Dumbledore began, "And I agree with you in some ways, but there is something else we need to consider. If we don't convince Harry of all of this, then he may never be able to return to the Muggle world."

"What? Why?" Sirius asked.

Dumbledore sighed. "Think about it, Sirius. They are already concerned about Harry's whereabouts. If we don't do something about this soon, he will be considered a missing person. If he ever tried to go back to that world and find a job or buy a house or have children… it's inevitable that someone somewhere will see his name and red flags would go up in all of their computer systems. Harry wouldn't be able to answer any of their questions and things could be very difficult for him."

"I never thought about that," Remus admitted. "Is there any chance that the Muggles will try to send Harry back to the Dursleys if he doesn't testify?"

"It's quite possible, but I would never let that happen now I know the horrors Harry has faced there. The Ministry could be a bit of a problem though if they learn Harry is no longer with his relatives," replied Dumbledore, stroking his beard in a contemplative manner. "They will probably try to make Harry a ward of the Ministry."

"We can't let that happen!" Molly exclaimed. "That poor boy has been through enough. He would be absolutely miserable. Arthur and I want to take guardianship of Harry officially."

Sirius grew alarmed at the proposed notion. "Whoa, wait a minute… I'm Harry's godfather! Shouldn't I have some sort of say in the matter? Why can't Harry stay with me in London?"

"You know now delicate your situation is, Sirius," Remus reminded him. "Harry might be safer and happier with Molly and Arthur…"

"Whose side are you on!" Sirius yelled, turning to his friend.

"Listen… we can discuss guardianship at another time. If need be we can always make Harry a ward of Hogwarts. The Ministry won't like it, but the school does have that power. For now let us focus on the matter of Harry testifying," Dumbledore pleaded.

Five heads nodded somewhat reluctantly, realizing that the trials were a more pressing issue at the moment.

"Do you think Harry will agree?" Tonks asked, looking at the saddened faces around the room.

"Don't worry… I'll talk to him…" Sirius said softly.

* * *

Harry and Ron were lying on their beds on the opposite sides of Ron's room, each pretending to be doing homework. Though neither of them had said much since they had come upstairs, it was clear what they were both thinking about. What did Sirius and Remus want to talk to Ron's parents about? 

Harry's stomach was currently tied up in knots, and he was beginning to feel slightly queasy. All week he had been worrying about having to explain his past and now it was looking more and more like he wouldn't be able to hide his secrets.

Even Ron was questioning him now. This morning during breakfast, Ron's questions had really thrown Harry for a loop. He didn't know when Ron had become so intuitive, but it was downright frightening now. He seemed to know exactly what to say to rattle Harry to the core.

He just wished no one had to know. It was business, and nobody else's. Why couldn't they understand that?

Harry would be lying if he said he wasn't the least bit curious about what had been said about him downstairs. He knew without a doubt what they probably had discussed.

Oddly enough, all Harry wanted to do right now was cuddle up beside Ron and go to bed. Unfortunately, it was the middle of the afternoon and he would feel a little more than awkward if he made such a request. It was a shame too, because Harry never felt better than when he was lying beside his friend at night. His feelings for Ron were growing stronger every day, and he was hoping that Ron would somehow make the first move. Something inside of Harry couldn't reach out first. The rejection would just be too great for him to handle if his feelings were actually denied.

Harry and Ron had been studying for more than two hours when they finally decided to take a break. They ventured downstairs hoping to grab a snack and go flying again, when they unexpectedly met the twins and Ginny conversing on the landing. The three of them turned towards Ron and Harry in surprise. They hadn't seen each other all day.

"What do you think is going on down there?" asked Ginny quietly, referring to the adults' meeting in the kitchen.

"I don't know," replied Fred, "but it must be something big. They've been down there for most of the afternoon."

"Do you think it has to do with the mission Black and Lupin were on?" George asked Ron.

"How should I know?" Ron asked, rolling his eyes dramatically.

"Well, I don't know about you two, but we're sick of being holed up in our rooms all day," said Fred.

"What have you been doing? It's been too quiet… it's almost scary…" Ron said with a shiver.

"Nothing," the twins and Ginny responded simultaneously. Their behaviors were really strange, like they were hiding something. Harry and Ron both glanced at one another and gave a shrug.

"What do you say we go down-" began Fred

"-and spy on them?" George finished.

"Yeah," Ron and Ginny replied eagerly.

"I don't know…" Harry tried to say, feeling a sense of panic rising in his chest. But before he could protest further, he felt himself swept up between the Weasley siblings moving down the stairs.

They crept down as quietly as possible, hoping they could peek around the corner and see something going on. They were surprised to see the silencing charm had been taken down and they everyone seemed to be saying their goodbyes. Harry was a little more than shocked when he had seen Tonks and Dumbledore among the adults too.

Sensing it was safe to go downstairs, the five of them walked down the rest of the way, a little more casually. They then watched as Dumbledore, Arthur, Tonks, and Remus all flooed to various destinations. Only Ron's mum and Sirius remained.

"Where's dad going?" asked Ron.

"Back to work for a few hours," replied his mother. Harry couldn't help but notice that Mrs. Weasley's eyes were red rimmed like she had been crying. "Did you get some homework done?"

"Some of it," Ron replied.

Mrs. Weasley did her best to put a smile on her face. "Well that's good because I thought we all could take a trip to Diagon Alley. There are some things I need to get and I thought you all might like to go."

"Yeah, that would be great!" Ron said enthusiastically.

"Perfect-" said Fred.

"We need to replenish some of our supplies," added George. Both twins were grinning mischievously.

"Mum, can we look at some dress robes for me," Ginny asked sweetly.

"Yes, we can _look_," said Molly firmly. Ginny looked somewhat disappointed that they couldn't buy her new robes as well.

Harry noticed Sirius approach him quietly. "Hey kiddo… we need to talk…" Sirius said with a sad smile on his face. "Do you mind staying behind with me?"

"Uh… o-okay…" Harry replied nervously. He knew what Sirius wanted to talk to about and for some reason he never felt more afraid or nervous. He turned to his best mate to tell him the unfortunate news. "I guess I'm staying behind, Ron… you can go on without me."

"Oh, okay…" Ron replied happily. Harry noticed that his friend hadn't seemed upset by the fact he was remaining behind. He almost seemed eager to go without him.

"We'll see you soon dear," Mrs. Weasley said to Harry, before she and the others turned to go. "Have a nice talk with Sirius." Her eyes were shining slightly again and Harry was at a loss as to why she always seemed so sad when she looked him.

"Bye," he said softly, almost wishing they didn't have to go. Harry and Sirius watched as each of the Weasleys flooed to Diagon Alley.

"C'mon Harry, let's go for a walk…" Sirius suggested. Harry nodded and followed him outdoors.

For someone who wanted to talk to Harry, Sirius was oddly quiet. The anticipation of what he wanted to talk to him about was almost overwhelming and Harry found that he almost couldn't stand it. His stomach felt twisted up with worry inside of him and it was becoming almost painful. If Harry had ever been on a rollercoaster he might have said that it was like that awful climb to the top of the hill before the car careened over the other side.

The pair walked for almost half an hour in absolute silence. Harry could tell that Sirius had something he wanted to say, but was having trouble trying to say it. Somehow or another they found themselves sitting beneath the oak tree, resting their backs against its sturdy trunk. Neither of them had yet to say a word, each one trying to figure out what needed to be said.

The quiet tension was almost unbearable now. Harry looked over at Sirius, who was thoughtfully playing with a blade of yellow grass he had plucked from the dried ground.

"So where have you been all this time?" Harry finally questioned him. He didn't mean it to come out like an accusation, but his tone made it sound as if he was hurt Sirius hadn't come back sooner. Maybe in some ways he was.

"Bulgaria... I was on a mission for the Order…" Sirius explained patiently, still not daring to look at Harry directly.

"I knew you were on a mission, but nobody would tell me what you were doing," Harry said softly.

"It wasn't anything dangerous… well, not too dangerous… Remus and I sought out an old friend who had shown interest in joining the Order last time around. Voldemort fell unexpectedly, so he never joined officially, but we were counting on him to help us out now." Sirius paused for a moment and ran a hand through his black locks.

"And is he?" Harry asked curiously. He knew that once the war started, the Order was going to need all the help they could get.

"Not exactly… he has a family now and he's worried that involvement with the Order could put his wife and children in harm's way. But he is going to send us word if he hears or sees anything… which is all we were really hoping for anyway."

"You sound like you are still worried about it or something…"

Sirius looked over at him before he replied, "I just question his loyalty in the face of adversity. It's one thing to stand up to Voldemort on your own, it's quite another when you have family on the line…"

Harry nodded in understanding. If their informant or his family were ever captured, his loyalty to the Order may waver in order to protect the ones he loved. Secrets could be spilled, identities revealed, any number of things could go wrong.

"Why ask him to help us then?"

Sirius smiled grimly and said, "Because the wizarding village he works in is known to be rather shady. We have reliable reports that known Death Eaters have been seen frequenting the area in the last month. We could use someone on the inside to tell us if they see or hear anything that could be valuable to the Order's efforts. None of the current Order members can risk staking the area out, we are all too recognizable. Well, I suppose Tonks could… but she is needed here. Xavier's face is relatively unknown."

"Xavier…" Harry said softly, wanting to remember that name for some odd reason.

"I'm glad I'm back though…" Sirius said. "I've missed you." Sirius reached over and put an arm around Harry's back to pull him close.

Harry felt his heart warm at thought of being missed. No one had ever said that to him before. "I've missed you too," Harry replied with a smile, relishing this new found comfort.

"We have to a lot to talk about…"

Harry felt his stomach twist again violently. He looked up into Sirius's sad grey eyes and whispered. "I know…"

* * *

A/N: Okay…(_dodges rotten tomatoes)…_ so it's been over three months since I last updated… _(hey, who threw the watermelon?)_ and I'm truly sorry! I know how many of you have been waiting for this update. In my defense I have been very busy both professionally and personally. I am also working on two stories at once and my muse was insistent on me posting those last few chapters of my other fic before I could write again for this fic. She's very pushy! This story also needed a lot tweaking, as it seems to have taken on a life of its own. I can't believe how much it has changed since I first began writing it. Even this chapter was arranged and rearranged at least a dozen times. I can't say that it was my favorite chapter, but it is what it is. I just wish I had more time to write. 

A/N2: I know I said that this chapter would be centered around Harry's birthday, but it seems my muse had other ideas in store for us. Harry's surprise party _will_ occur in the next chapter.

A/N3: I actually did a lot of research online about child protection laws in Great Britain and found some information that was very useful. I'm not sure how accurate my interpretation is of everything, but I felt it necessary to include that information in an attempt to keep a sense of realism in the story. Sorry this chapter was a bit boring, but I had a lot of explaining to do. At least I included some fluffy parts.

_**Many thanks to all my readers and reviewers!**_


	13. A Series of Firsts

A/N: This chapter picks up right where the last one left off. Sorry about the delay. Enjoy the extra long chapter!

**Chapter 13- A Series of Firsts**

As the sun sank beneath the horizon, several stars began to appear, twinkling against the dark purple sky. Unseen creatures slowly began their night songs until the darkness was filled with soft chirps of crickets and the croaks of frogs. There wasn't a cloud in sight, but a soft warm breeze had begun to pick up the longer they sat there, lifting Harry's messy black hair playfully and causing him to look even more disheveled than usual. If Harry wasn't already filled with such anxiety over what was happening, he might have actually stopped to consider that this was one of the most beautiful nights he had ever spent at the Burrow.

Harry and Sirius had been outside beneath the old Oak tree for several hours now. Some of that time was spent in quiet conversation, but a lot of it was spent in companionable silence; since neither one of them was having an easy time discussing these uncomfortable matters. Their talk had started off mildly enough, sticking to matters of a more lighthearted nature. But once Harry had learned about the cause of his godfather's absence, it had become abundantly clear that he wouldn't be able to stall the inevitable any longer. The truth was going to come out, whether he liked it or not.

Harry was still sitting rather close to Sirius, having been pulled into a one arm hug when they first sat down. Part of him felt comforted by his godfather's presence, but another part of him felt oddly nervous. Intimate contact just wasn't something he was familiar with or accustomed to. He certainly enjoyed it when Ron touched him in some small way, but this was a completely different kind of touch. Harry was simply at a loss when it came to touch from a parental figure, whether it was Sirius or Mrs. Weasley. He was never sure how to respond or if he was even supposed to. Having never been touched in such an innocent manner while staying at the Dursleys, Harry found himself having to watch the Weasley children for cues on how he was supposed to behave around adults. Unfortunately, Ron and his siblings often shrugged off such attention in irritation, complaining they were too old for hugs and kisses. Harry thought it might be rude for him to do so and resigned to accept the affection, though he couldn't bring himself to ever initiate it.

Besides his godfather's close proximity to him, there was another reason that he felt so uncomfortable. Although they were supposed to somehow have this unspoken bond as godfather and godson, they were practically strangers in many ways. When he stopped and thought about it, Harry realized that he didn't really know Sirius all that well. They had never really had any time alone together to get to know each other one on one, and most of their communication had occurred by owl, which was rather impersonal, especially since Harry still had to be guarded about what he wrote to his godfather in his letters. Sirius still being a wanted criminal certainly put a damper in their relationship.

Harry sighed heavily, realizing that the neat little illusion he had been living under for so long was about to come crashing down upon his shoulders once again. Subconsciously, Harry pulled his knees about to his chest and wrapped his arms around them protectively, bracing for the worst. He also had shifted his position slightly to the side so that he could put a little distance between them, but not enough to cause Sirius's feelings to be hurt. Harry just needed a little more personal space.

After another agonizingly long pause in their conversation, Sirius suddenly began blurting out what he had learned from Tonks and the Weasleys. Harry had been a little more than shocked by the amount of detail that his godfather had learned about his situation and the ease at which the words were spilling forth from his mouth. Harry had fully expected that he was going to have to tell everything that had happened himself, and it was almost a relief that Sirius knew so much already.

Harry listened quietly as Sirius directed his outburst of information into the dark night sky, working out the details aloud as if he were still trying to wrap his head around it all. He couldn't help but notice the anger in Sirius's voice, and Harry was having a hard time determining if that anger was directed towards him or at the Dursleys. He remained silent throughout the whole ordeal and allowed Sirius his rant. He couldn't even bear to look at him so he stared fixatedly on the dry ground, practically holding his breath in rapt attention.

Harry then listened quietly as Sirius outlined how the Order wanted him to proceed in regard to testifying against his uncle, but found that he couldn't give him a reply on the matter one way or another. He hadn't known that he could give his testimony using a taped interview, and it gave him a lot to think about. Although what they were offering sounded appealing, he was still terrified of having to give a testimony of any kind.

A thousand questions flooded Harry's brain as he thought about everything. What if the media found out? What if Uncle Vernon wasn't found guilty and he was somehow sent back? What would happen to him then? What if Ron found out? What would he think of him? Would he think him weak and pathetic?

Sirius had a question of his own. "So what do you think?" he asked again, when Harry hadn't give him a reply. He inclined his head towards Harry and looked at him with a piercing gaze.

"I don't know… c-can I think about it?" Harry asked quietly. His stomach was knotted up painfully with worry, and he truly didn't feel like he would be able to decide anything definite tonight.

"I suppose…" Sirius replied with a sad sigh. That was clearly not what he had been hoping Harry would say. "But we'll need an answer soon."

Harry sat quietly beside Sirius, refusing to say another word, trying to think about what he wanted to do. He knew with every fiber of his being that what his uncle had done to him was wrong, but he simply couldn't push aside the notion that despite all of that, his relatives _had_ taken him in rather than sending him off to some orphanage. That had to count for something. Right? He had been told numerous times what a burden he had been and he couldn't help wondering if he didn't deserve some of his treatment. Did his uncle really deserve to suffer for disciplining him? Maybe sometimes Harry's punishments were justified. He was pretty stubborn after all and had often been pretty rude to his relatives and even Aunt Marge when she stayed. Maybe if he had only tried harder…His distracted thoughts were suddenly cut off when he heard Sirius's voice beside him.

"Harry, why… why didn't you ever tell me what was happening?" Sirius finally asked when it was clear that Harry wasn't going to say anything else.

Harry looked up in surprise at the question and saw the hurt in Sirius's eyes. It was clear that he didn't think Harry trusted him.

"I d-don't know…" Harry replied lamely, though in actuality he did in fact know why he never told his godfather. He simply didn't want him to know. He didn't want _anyone_ to know that his uncle beat him. He was just too ashamed and to frighten to reveal his secret to anyone. In some ways he feared that even if he did try to tell someone that it wouldn't do a bit of good.

Sirius frowned in frustration. "I won't accept that. There must be a reason you felt you couldn't tell me. Don't you trust me?"

"No, it's n-not that. I don't know w-what it is…" Harry lied.

"Yes, you do… and if you couldn't tell me then why not Dumbledore? Or Remus? Or even the Weasleys? They would have stopped at nothing to get you out of there. Harry, you didn't have to suffer like this!" Sirius shouted as he grew more and more agitated.

Harry hated the tone he was using and felt his stomach tighten even more painfully. "I'm sorry! Okay… I'm s-sorry. I know it was probably st-stupid of me not to say something, but I just c-couldn't!" Harry shouted back, trying to make his godfather understand.

"Why!"

Before Harry could stop himself, he felt the words slip from his mouth.

"Because I tried once before and didn't do any good!" He slapped his hand over his mouth in horror. He didn't want Sirius to know all of this and here he was spilling every last little detail.

"When?" Sirius asked quietly,

"When I was eight... Ms. Wylan, my t-teacher… she w-was nice… she tried to help, but it didn't to any g-good…" Harry said quietly.

Sirius looked as if he wanted to know more about what had happened then, but seemed to decide to let it go. "Why didn't you say anything to Ron or Hermione?"

"I don't know… I guess I thought they might be m-mad that I had kept secrets from them. Friends are n-not sup-posed to lie," Harry replied sadly.

"Sometimes even the best of friends lie because they're not sure if they can truly trust them… Remus lied to his friends about his condition for a very long time when we were at Hogwarts and he lied for a very good reason. He had a very personal secret and he didn't want anyone to know… We figured it out anyway. We were his friends and we were worried about him… I don't think he was ever happier than the day we revealed our animagus forms to him so that we could be with him during his transformations," Sirius smiled in remembrance and then looked at Harry seriously. "You underestimate your friends, Harry. They would've understood and tried to help you…"

"I g-guess…" Harry said with a sad shrug. "I was more w-worried about what would hap-pen to m-me if anyone found out… I didn't want to be sent to an o-or-or-phan-" As hard as he tried he couldn't seem to wrap his tongue around that last word. He felt so close to losing it completely.

"An orphanage?" Sirius asked, helping him out with the word he was having such difficulty pronouncing.

"Yeah." Harry nodded and felt himself blush in humiliation.

Harry mentally berated himself for stuttering so much. He felt like such an idiot. He usually never had a problem with it. In fact, he couldn't really remember a time while at Hogwarts that he had let it get the better of him, though there were a few close calls while he was in Snape's class. He just couldn't seem to get a handle on his emotions and as a result he was slipping back into his old speech pattern in this heightened nervous state. Before he would only stutter around his uncle, who still frightened him to no end. But now it seemed any situation that caused him anxiety was causing him to stumble over his words.

"I guess I understand…" Sirius replied softly. "But you must know that I would never let that happen to you."

Harry was thankful that his godfather wasn't pestering him about the way he was speaking on top of everything else. He was embarrassed as it was and he didn't think he could handle that too.

"Can you tell me what they did to you?"

After that question, he was almost wishing that his godfather had asked why he stuttered instead. Unfortunately both problems were somewhat related.

Harry took a deep breath trying to decide what he should say. "I d-don't really want to t-talk about it…. okay? Please don't m-make m-me?" Harry pleaded. "It's not a big deal!"

"It is a big deal, Harry. You were beaten by the people who were supposed to love and care for you. I want to know what they did to you!" Sirius explained, his voice sounding more and more dangerous.

Harry could only shake his head in reply. A thickness had developed in the back of his throat as he remembered all of the awful things he experienced while living with the Dursleys. He didn't want to remember any of it.

Sirius assumed the same position as Harry, bringing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. "You know… I didn't exactly have an easy time with my parents… I might understand…"

"Really?"

"Yeah… things were pretty bad for a while…"

"D-did they b-beat you?" Harry asked curiously.

"My father did… a few times… we didn't see eye to eye on a lot to things. It's why I ran away. You may not know this, Harry, but my parents were very dark wizards…" Sirius said softly.

Harry felt his mouth drop in horror. He wanted to ask his godfather more about his life, but feared that in doing so that he might inadvertently open the door to questioning about the Dursleys.

"I want you to feel like you can talk to me, Harry. I will always try my best to help you. Can you tell me what happened?" Sirius asked with a soft tone.

"P-please…I just can't…" Harry replied miserably. He just wanted to forget everything that happened. He just wanted to be a normal kid with normal problems.

Sirius looked to the sky in frustration and nodded reluctantly. There was another bout of silence in which neither one of them could think of what to say so they stared at the twinkling stars instead.

"Are you doing okay since the car accident?" Sirius suddenly asked.

Harry was taken aback by the question. No one had thought to ask him this since he was rescued and he wasn't sure how to respond. "I guess…" Harry said slowly.

"Do you think it about much?" he asked intuitively.

Harry thought about what he wanted to say and tried to speak clearly. "A lot actually. My b-brain can't stop replaying the accident over and over in my head. It's stupid, I know…"

"No it's not. Do you dream about it?"

"Sometimes… sometimes I dream about the hospital… it was awful," Harry added as he shuddered at the memory. He had hated being hooked up to all of those machines and doing all of those tests. He would take a visit to Madame Pomfrey any day over going to a Muggle hospital ever again.

"I can imagine…" Sirius said sympathetically. "Are you still in any pain?"

"No…" Harry quickly lied. He didn't want anyone to know that the welts that Madame Pomfrey couldn't heal properly were still quite tender. He knew from experience that they would heal in time so it was no use complaining about it to anyone.

"Do you dream about anything else?"

"I can't remember my dreams," Harry mumbled his reply.

At least that was partly true. He had had some nightmares about Uncle Vernon coming after him, but the only thing he was able to remember after he woke up was the sheer terror he had felt. It was probably better that he couldn't remember those dreams.

Harry had had another type of dream recently that he couldn't remember either. The disturbing dream about Voldemort and his Death Eaters had happened last night. Harry couldn't be sure if what he saw was a dream or a vision. He certainly had a lot of nightmares about Cedric's death and the graveyard since the third task, but he hadn't received a single vision since last term. And to be honest he was beginning to think that things were a bit too quiet, especially after the Dark Lord's rebirth. Shouldn't he be planning world domination by now? What exactly was Voldemort up to?

Harry was certain that there was something important he should have remembered from the dream-like vision from last night, but the memory of the dream wasn't very clear to him anymore. The images had faded as quickly as they had come under the tender affection Ron had bestowed upon him. All he could remember was that Voldemort had been talking to his circle of Death Eaters about something important. He just wished he knew what.

"Any visions?" Sirius then asked.

"No," he replied quickly.

"Well if you do, be sure to tell me or Dumbledore straight away. And I still want to know if anything out of the ordinary happens…" Sirius said firmly.

Harry nodded, remembering Sirius's concern last year when his name came out of the Goblet of Fire. Now that Voldemort had risen again, Harry was sure that his godfather would be just as overprotective as he was before if not more. He just hoped that Sirius wouldn't be discovered by the Ministry in his attempt to protect his godson. It would destroy him if he were sent back to Azkaban.

His scar hadn't even hurt last night and he wasn't even sure what had happened in the dream. Harry didn't think it was worth mentioning, but promised himself if he had a dream like that again that he would go straight to Dumbledore and his godfather.

"Ah… well… have you enjoyed your stay at the Burrow?" Sirius asked, searching for something else to talk about.

Harry appreciated the change in subject and quietly began telling Sirius about his time with the Weasleys. Despite everything that had already happened earlier this summer, this was quite far one of the best summers he ever had. He had never had an opportunity to just be a kid, and while he was here he was allowed that wonderful freedom.

As they continued to talk about more mundane topics, Harry could feel some of the anxiety he experienced earlier begin to dissipate, and with it so did his stutter and his awful stomach ache. It was nice having someone worry about his well being and inquiring about his every day life.

They had missed dinner, and Harry found that his stomach was growling lightly as he began to feel better. Now that he had been eating more regularly his stomach had become more persistent at taking in larger and larger quantities of food. Harry was sure that the others were back by now from Diagon Alley and that they had probably already eaten dinner. He assumed the reason they weren't called in for dinner was that no one had wanted to interrupt their conversation, considering the importance of what they wanted him to do.

They heard footsteps softly approaching after a short while and they turned around to see who was coming. Mrs. Weasley was walking towards them in a determined manner. At first, it was unclear what she wanted, but as she drew closer Sirius and Harry realized that she was carrying a tray of food towards them

"Sorry, dears, but I refuse to let you go any longer without a decent meal. Arthur told me not to bother you, but I said… well, I told him to mind his own business. Feeding people is mine," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile. She set down the tray of food between them and took a step back.

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said gratefully, eyeing a juicy piece of lightly breaded chicken and some mashed potatoes. He hadn't had eaten anything like this yet because of his prescribed diet and he assumed that Mrs. Weasley felt it safe for him now to try some food that wasn't so bland.

"Yes, well, there you are. Come in soon. It's getting a bit nippy out here with the wind picking up," she said, in a very mother-knows-best sort of voice.

The pair watched her walk away quietly, back towards her beloved home. Neither one of them waited very long before diving into the delicious meal before them. Harry was excited to see two glasses of that wonderfully cold lemonade Mrs. Weasley always made and grabbed one of them thirstily. It was then that Harry noticed that his evening nutritional potion had been placed on the tray as well. Knowing that he still needed to take it, Harry downed it in one gulp, and then took a swig of his lemonade to wash away the taste.

"What was that?" Sirius inquired, watching Harry replace the potion vial on the tray.

"Oh, just some stuff I have to take so I can get used to eating normally again… after the accident," explained Harry, knowing full well that that wasn't the whole truth.

"From what I hear, you've never eaten normally," Sirius commented gruffly.

Harry felt his face flush with embarrassment. It was bad enough Sirius knew how his uncle had beaten him. But his godfather now knowing he was treated no better than an unwanted pet was somehow worse. He squashed down his feeling of humiliation as best as he could and concentrated on eating.

They finished both of their plates rather quickly and sat back against the tree in contentment.

"It's getting late. I suppose we should head in," said Sirius after a short while, gathering up the empty dishes and stacking them on the old tray.

Harry nodded in agreement. He was rather tired now that he thought about it. He helped Sirius arrange the dishes onto the tray. He stood up carefully, stretching his aching muscles from sitting on the hard ground for so long. He then brushed away the dried grass that had been sticking to his pant legs. Satisfied that he wouldn't traipse grass and dirt into Mrs. Weasleys nice clean house Harry lead the way back towards the Burrow.

As they quietly walked the short distance back to the house, Harry saw a steak of light dart across the brilliant night sky just above the little lopsided house.

"Hey, a shooting star! That's the first time I've ever seen one!" Harry exclaimed excitedly.

Sirius joined his side and said, "Really? Well, go on… make a wish!"

Harry squinted up his eyes in concentration and made a wish with all his heart. He knew that it was probably foolish to wish for something so big, but he hoped that maybe Ron wouldn't mind.

Satisfied that he was able to make his first wish on a shooting star, Harry followed Sirius up the old creaky steps that led to the kitchen and inside. Harry walked past his godfather, placed the tray of dirty dishes beside the sink, and set to work cleaning them up.

Before he could do so, however, he felt Sirius grasp his wrist, gently turning him around so that they were once again face to face.

Sirius stooped down so that he could look Harry in the eyes as he spoke. "I need you to give me an answer about testifying as soon as possible, Harry. There is a lot at stake and quite a bit that needs to be set in motion should you decide to go through with what we are asking of you…"

"I know…" Harry said softly, looking away from Sirius's penetrating gaze. "I just need time to think about it."

"I understand… give my regards to Mrs. Weasley for her fine cooking. I need to get going," said Sirius.

"Oh, alright," said Harry, disappointedly. Tonight had been the only time they had ever been alone for an extended period of time, and he was rather sad to see him go.

"Don't worry; I'll see you again soon," Sirius said, pulling Harry into a hug.

Harry felt himself stiffen at first and forced himself to relax. He had no reason to feel uncomfortable with hugs from his godfather.

"You can always tell me anything," Sirius whispered into his hair. "Never keep a secret like that from me again. I love you…"

Harry nodded into the taller man's chest, and let his godfather's words wash over him. This was the first time he had ever heard those words from Sirius, or anyone for that matter, and it left him a bit weepy.

He watched as Sirius reluctantly stepped away, discreetly wiping his own eyes, and flooed back to headquarters. He was just about to go clean the dishes they had brought in, when Mrs. Weasley appeared out of no where and shooed him out of the kitchen. Harry would have liked to have stayed and helped her to show his gratitude for her kindness, but she wouldn't hear of it.

When Harry finally made it upstairs he found Ron sitting up in bed reading. It appeared that Ron was still reading the same potions text he had been tackling earlier, trying to get ideas on what to write about for their summer homework assignment.

"Alright there, Harry?" Ron asked, noticing the worrisome expression that he must have been wearing on his face.

Harry smiled politely and said, "I'm fine. How was Diagon Alley?"

Ron shrugged and then smiled mischievously. It was the same sort of smile that Harry had seen the twins use when they were up to something. "Oh, you know… about the same," he said nonchalantly.

"Wish I could have gone…" Harry muttered, feeling somewhat jealous that Ron did anything without him.

"Well, there's always next time. I'm sure we'll be back by the end of the summer to get our school things. What did you and Sirius talk about?" Ron asked curiously.

Harry felt his stomach to another flip. This time it was a little more painful now that he had a full stomach. "Oh, n-nothing much… just what's been going on with me…"

"Right," Ron said. By the tone in his face Harry knew that Ron didn't believe that to be the whole truth.

"I think I'll turn in now. It's been a long day," said Harry, grabbing his pajamas and heading towards the bathroom so that he could change in private. "I just need to use the loo first…" he added on his way out of the room, hoping Ron hadn't grown suspicious yet of his odd behavior of not changing in front of him when they had done so for four years sharing a dormitory together.

Ron was already in bed when Harry returned and the light was off. He desperately wanted to go to Ron's bed and cuddle up beside him like they had done last night, but he was still rather insecure about his feelings about the red head.

Instead he climbed into his own bed and stared across the dark room to where he knew Ron was lying. He was still having an internal struggle with himself to make some sort of move towards Ron, but found that he lacked the courage. His rejection would be too much for Harry to handle. He depended on his friendship and the kindness of his family now and he didn't want to jeopardize that.

"Goodnight, Harry," Ron suddenly whispered across the darkness. "Let me know if… you know, need me…"

Filled with an incredible feeling of warmth, Harry smiled and whispered, "Thanks. Goodnight, Ron."

Even though he couldn't bring himself to ask, the invitation for Ron to sleep with him again should he need it was still there. And that would have to be enough for tonight.

He soon fell asleep, completely unaware of the significance of tomorrow's date.

* * *

The next day, Molly found herself bustling about the house in overdrive trying to prepare for Harry's surprise party. Having raised seven children, she was no stranger to throwing birthday parties, but somehow this seemed more important than any other. It gave her a small amount of satisfaction knowing that she was helping to give Harry his first birthday party.

The surprise party wasn't until late that afternoon and everyone was sworn to secrecy not to say a word about it. But she didn't want Harry to think that he had been forgotten about completely so she made a special breakfast for him, consisting of French Toast and homemade maple syrup. His delicate system was starting to allow for foods richer than the bland diet he had been on and she was pleased that she could finally make some of her specialties. He still had a long way to go before he could eat normally, but he had made a lot of progress. Over time he might even begin grow normally as well.

Her heart was filled with such warmth when she saw the shy smile that crossed Harry's face when he saw the delicious meal. She wished him a happy birthday and gave him a big hug when he and the others had finished his breakfast, and sent him on his way.

Knowing that their guests would be arriving later, she quickly put her children to work cleaning the house and the surrounding yard. Since Fred and George could use magic now, they helped her with some of the household chores while Ron and Ginny worked on de-gnoming the garden yet again. The last thing they needed was those pesky gnomes disrupting the party or stealing bits of food before they sat down to eat. Her children still did a fair amount of complaining about the chores, but she knew they didn't really mind today. The show was just for Harry's benefit.

She had tried to explain to Harry that all he was required to do on his birthday was relax, but he wouldn't hear of it. He was determined to help her out in anyway he could. She knew that it was his way of repaying the kindness they had bestowed upon him.

Once the garden was de-gnomed she set the children to putting away the various amounts of clutter that had begun to accumulate in the yard over the summer and rounding up the chickens. Harry didn't seem to suspect that anything was amiss and assumed that today they had a few more chores than usual.

With the house clean and the yard in order, Molly set to work making a delicious meal for dinner and a superb birthday cake that had three enormous layers. She had never felt so pleased with herself for all of her efforts. Everything was perfect.

As the time drew near for the party to begin, Molly pulled her youngest son aside and asked if he would take Harry for a walk through the orchard while the guests arrived and everything had been put in place. She couldn't help but notice the twinkle in his eye at the mere notion of spending more time alone with his best mate.

She suspected that neither boy had opened up to the other about their feelings, but she knew from experience that it would happen any time now. It was so obvious, at least to her, how much they cared for one another. Ronnie had always worn his heart on his sleeve, and Harry was no different, once you learned to read his body language.

Thankfully the orchard was located to the rear of the house, so they could set everything up without Harry seeing it until the right moment. With Harry properly distracted, Molly quickly set to work on finishing all the details. The picnic benches outside were expanded to fit all of their guests and covered with bright table cloths. Ginny arranged all of Harry's gifts on another table, stacking them in an attractive manner. The twins began decorating the nearby trees with all of the red and gold decorations that they and Ginny had been working on all day yesterday. They had so many pinwheels, streamers, banners, and balloons the entire front of the house was covered in decorations as well. It was a mad riot of color. Pigwidgeon and Hedwig flitted from tree to tree investigating the strange objects blowing in the wind.

Arthur arrived home soon from work and helped her set the table and bring the dishes of food outside. Molly then placed a spell on the food to keep it warm and prevent any unwanted pests from getting into it while they waited.

Soon their guests began to arrive. Some by floo; others by portkey. With the new wards in place it was impossible to apparate anywhere near the Burrow. And it was quite a walk to the nearest Apparition point. Several members of the Order had now arrived including Sirius, Remus, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Tonks, and Shacklebolt. Even Arabella Figg had been invited to the special occasion.

Snape, however, was no where to be seen. Molly suspected that his absence was because of he was currently spying for the Order. Had he been available, Dumbledore would have surely encouraged him to come, insisting they should put aside their differences.

Percy had outright refused the invitation. In fact, he had sent it back as soon as he received it, which had bothered Molly more than she was willing to let on. Bill had been unable to come home just yet because he had a few things in Egypt that were tying him up, but he sent a gift for Harry by mail anyway. Charlie, however, and had taken a two day break from his work with the dragons just to see Harry. When Molly questioned him about his decision, her second oldest son said that he felt "_sorry for the poor kid and wanted to do something to help him feel better."_ She felt such pride for her son that he would willing give up his precious vacation time to help his younger brother's friend feel more welcome in their home. It seems as if the entire Weasley family, minus Percy of course, would stop at nothing to make Harry feel like he was one of them.

Some of Harry and Ron's friends had begun to arrive as well. Neville, Seamus, and Dean had met up at the Leaky Cauldron and portkeyed here together. Hermione, however, had flooed directly to the Burrow. Hermione's fireplace was one of the few on the floo network that the Order would still allow to be connected to the Burrow. With the rebirth of You-Know-Who, several security measures had been put in place to ensure the safety of Harry and the Weasley children.

Sirius, who had the freedom of being in his human form before the teenagers arrived, had quickly turned into his animagus form upon their arrival. It was just too risky to trust Harry's friends with his secret, but he had insisted that they invite them. Harry had never had a birthday party before and it was only natural that his first one included the friends he had made while at Hogwarts. No child could ever possibly want a party with only adults.

The large black dog sat down beside Remus and watched the scene with disinterest as he waited for Harry's arrival. Everybody was anxious about Harry's reaction and were quietly discussing whether or not he had figured out their was a surprise party yet. Now that everyone had arrived they all stood about quietly, waiting for Ron to return with their guest of honor.

Ginny had been placed on the lookout, and had been dutifully watching for any sign of her brother or Harry as they all took their places. After a few minutes, she quickly darted around the side of the house shouting "He's coming!" She squealed with excitement and ran to stand with the rest of her family.

Ron came around the corner of the house first, a small grin on his face because he knew what was going on. Harry followed close behind, staring at the ground thoughtfully.

On cue everyone yelled, "Surprise!" and then blew into their noisemakers, startling Harry greatly.

Harry's head shot up and he staggered backwards a few feet at the boisterous outburst. He seemed to be at a complete loss at understanding what was happening. He blinked a few times and even rubbed at his eyes beneath his glasses.

The twins let off a few fireworks and everyone aimed their party poppers in his direction, sending a shower of confetti all over him.

"What's going on?" he asked dumbly.

"Happy birthday, mate!" Ron shouted, giving his friend a one arm hug and steering him towards the crowd.

Molly watched as Harry's face slowly began to blush a deep shade of red. The small teen looked almost weepy, as he plastered an amazed grin on his face.

"Happy birthday, Harry!" Hermione and Ginny yelled, each giving Harry a huge hug as they pushed Ron out of the way.

Harry disappeared for a moment under two heads of ginger and bushy brown hair, and when he emerged again he looked like he was still in shock over all the excitement.

Sensing his discomfort, Molly strode over to him and gently guided him towards his other guests so that he could greet them all properly. She knew he wasn't used to this kind of thing and probably didn't know what to do, so she was glad that she could help him out in some way. She quickly dusted off the confetti from his hair and shoulders and encouraged him to say hello.

"Er hi… thanks for coming," Harry said, as he approached his fellow Gryffindors.

"Good to see you, Harry," said Dean, shaking Harry's hand. Seamus reached out and grabbed Harry's other hand and together they pumped Harry's arms up and down until he looked like a puppet on a string being forced to move in a jerky manner.

Hedwig, his beloved Snowy Owl, flew to his shoulder and gave him an affectionate nip before flying away again. She seemed to be saying happy birthday to her master as well.

"Happy birthday, Harry!" Neville said happily, stepping forward to clasp Harry's hand.

"Thanks for coming…" Harry said quietly.

By now the twins and Ron had started a rendition of "_For he's jolly good fellow…"_ and had gotten the three boys from their dorm to join them. They sang loudly and danced around Harry, whooping with laughter as they sang. Hermione and Ginny stood a short distance away laughing at the boys' childish behavior.

Another flush of embarrassment filled Harry's face and he smiled politely at all of the attention. Harry still seemed to be adjusting to life at the noisy Burrow and it was easy to forget sometimes just how different life must have been like before he came here. Being such a large family, they could get quite loud sometimes, and it was quite a lot to get used to.

When the song ended, Molly steered Harry away to say hello to the adults, leaving the teenagers to talk spiritedly about what had happened in their lives since they last seen each other. Harry greeted each of them in turn, recognizing Tonks and Shacklebolt from when they helped rescue him from the hospital.

"Hello, Mr. Potter," said Professor McGonagall in a dignified voice.

"Hello, Professor," Harry said politely. He smiled at Dumbledore who gave him a nod and then bashfully greeted Tonks and Shacklebolt.

"Hey Charlie!" Harry said excitedly, when he saw Ron's older brother. "You didn't come all the way back from Romania just for me, did you?"

"Absolutely. I wouldn't miss this party for the world!" exclaimed Charlie, clapping his hand on Harry's shoulder playfully.

Molly thought Harry was doing quite well until he sputtered in surprise once he finally discovered Arabella Figg's presence. "Mrs. Figg? W-what are you d-doing here? Are you a witch?"

The old lady seemed to understand Harry's confusion and smiled reassuringly. "Well, hello to you too Harry. It's good to see you again… and no, I'm not a witch. I'm a squib," she said matter-of-factly.

"Really?" Harry asked in disbelief. "So all that time… when you would baby-sit me… you knew… you knew I was a wizard and you didn't tell me!"

At Harry's sudden outburst, Arabella's eyes became sad. "I'm sorry, my boy… I wasn't allowed…"

"How come?" Harry asked, still looking properly confused.

Her eyes darted toward Dumbledore, who had been quietly observing the small group. "That would be my fault, Harry. At the time I thought it was for the best," he said sadly, eyeing Harry carefully.

Molly watched as a dark expression overcame Harry and he crossed his arms protectively over his chest. She was beginning to understand why he was so upset. For years he had been shoved onto Arabella when the Dursleys didn't want to deal with him, and in all that time she had never told him anything about the real world to which he belonged. He must be feeling somewhat resentful and hurt about it all. Studying him carefully she realized that there might be something more going on beneath the now stormy depths of Harry's eyes.

Turning to Arabella, Molly asked, "Did you know how Harry was treated by his relatives?"

Harry looked up at her in alarm for saying something so personal, but then quickly looked to his old child minder to see her response.

"No, Harry… I never knew…" Arabella said sadly, looking to Harry for understanding. "I suspected they weren't very nice to you, but I… I had no idea… when Albus questioned me about it this summer I was just… I'm so sorry I didn't notice…I'm sorry I didn't help you…" She then brushed a few tears from her eyes trying to compose herself.

"It's okay," Harry muttered dryly, looking around to make sure that none of the others had heard their conversation.

He then looked towards the ground and kicked the dirt with his foot, looking very unsure of himself now. The air was thick with tension, and nobody seemed to know what to say just now. Molly rubbed his back hoping to help relieve some of the anxiety and was surprised when he flinched slightly at the touch. He quickly looked up at her apologetically and gave her a small grin. She wanted to say something to reassure him but Remus cut her off.

"Hey Harry, can I steal a moment of your time. There is a certain black dog here that would like to greet you?" asked Remus. Padfoot was standing beside him and wagging his tail anxiously. Apparently they had been waiting in the background for a moment when they could speak to him alone.

"Sure," said Harry with a shrug.

"Molly can we use the living room for a bit of privacy?" Remus asked.

"Of course," she replied.

She watched as the large black dog ran up the front steps to Burrow and then waited for Harry and Remus to follow him inside. She knew that Sirius wanted to spend some time with Harry in his human form away from prying eyes. As much as she disliked the man at times, she knew that he was an important figure in Harry's life. He and Remus were the only real ties Harry had to his parents.

"Hey, when did Professor Lupin get a dog?" Molly heard the Finnigan boy ask Ron loudly, as the threesome walked by.

"Oh, Snuffles been around for a while now," her son replied. Hermione nodded in agreement.

Molly saw that the guests were now helping themselves to refreshments so she took a moment to make sure that everything was all set for dinner. Arthur was setting up his Wizarding Wireless Network radio and adjusted the tuner until the Weird Sisters could be heard singing their latest hit. Some of Ron and Harry's friends were dancing to the music now and the adults were watching with mild amusement.

After a quarter of an hour, Harry emerged from the Burrow with Remus and Padfoot in tow. Molly ushered them to the tables and they everyone sat down. Inevitably all the adults had sat at one table and all the teens were at the other. Both tables were engaged in lively conversation and it was clear everyone was having a good time.

Without anyone seeing, Molly slipped a small vial of Harry's daily nutritional potion into his hand. She knew that he wanted to avoid any awkward questioning, but if he didn't take it they ran the risk that he would get an upset stomach from the heavy meal. He quickly downed it in one gulp while the others were looking away and slipped the vial back to her with an appreciative grin.

She then took her place over at the adult table, and soon they began eating the wonderful meal she had prepared, passing each dish around and later helping themselves to seconds and thirds.

Arthur, who was sitting beside his wife, suddenly turned to her and gave her a big hug. "You've really outdone yourself, you know…" he said softly, kissing her on her cheek.

"I know… but look how happy he is…" she said pointing towards the small teen they had taken in.

Harry was laughing at something one of the twins had said and appeared to be having a really great time.

"He is happy, isn't he?" Arthur asked with a smile.

Molly was pleased that everyone enjoyed the meal so much. They were all so full that they decided to wait until later to serve the cake. So instead they sat Harry down in a chair in the middle of everyone and started handing him present after present. Although Harry was obviously feeling rather awkward about receiving so many gifts, he couldn't hide the unceasing smile on his face. Molly knew how much all of this meant to him.

He received quite a variety of presents, including some new clothes, a Weasley jumper, boxes of Honeydukes chocolates, his own set of Exploding Snap cards, a new wrist watch (his old one had broken during the second task last year), a Quidditch Weekly subscription, and a case of ButterBeer. Molly had been surprised that the twins had bought Harry a harmless case of ButterBeer yesterday instead of giving him samples of their latest joke products, but she figured that they were only trying to be nice.

Ron had had a considerably hard time deciding what to get his friend while they were in Diagon Alley. Molly had tried to help her son as best as she could, but he seemed to only grow more and more frustrated with her suggestions. In the end he had decided on buying him a high quality practice snitch from Quality Quidditch Supplies that cost him most of his savings.

When Harry opened that particular gift he had said, "Wow, thanks Ron. Now we don't have to practice with acorns and pinecones."

They both laughed joyfully and only they seemed to understand the inside joke.

:"Why on earth would you practice with an acorn?" asked Seamus. "They can't even fly."

"Never mind," Ron and Harry both replied, grinning at one another.

Harry thanked everyone over and over again from the bottom of his heart. It was evident just how grateful he was for everything they had bestowed upon him. For a child that had never had a birthday party before, this must have been somewhat overwhelming.

Harry's eyes had widened in surprise when they finally revealed his three tiered cake to him and sang happy birthday. That same weepy expression crossed his face, but Harry hid it by closing his eyes tightly and blowing out all of the candles when they had finished singing.

"What did you wish for?" Ron asked excitedly.

"If I told you that then it wouldn't come true," Harry said coyly.

Ron smiled at him and Molly rolled her eyes in frustration. If one of them didn't open up and tell the other their feelings she was going to have to do something about it all. She was sure she was the only one who suspected anything, but she wasn't all that surprised by that fact. She was a mother, after all. And mothers just seemed to know things about their children.

"Dudley never had a cake like this…" Harry whispered to Ron at one point, while they were eating. Molly couldn't help but smile, knowing how spoiled Harry's cousin had been. At least she was able to provide Harry with something that his cousin had never had.

Many of the guests had already begun rising from their seats again once they had finished eating, mingling with one another as they listened to the music over the WWN.

She saw Harry approach her somewhat timidly once he had had his fill of cake. "Thank you for everything, Mrs. Weasley, but you didn't have to go to all the trouble just for me…" said Harry.

"Of course I did, Harry," Molly said with a soft smile. She bent down and kissed him gently on the forehead. She then studied him for a few moments and attempted to flatten his hair a bit, running her fingers through it lovingly. Harry closed his eyes and reveled in the affection, accepting it for the first time without hesitation. Realizing that her attempt to make his behave was hopeless, she said, "Go on now. Go be with your friends."

Harry beamed at her a grateful smile. He looked like he wanted to say something more, but he was soon led away by his friends.

"Oi, Harry… let's try out your new practice snitch," said Seamus, grabbing Harry by the arm.

"Alright," he said excitedly.

Soon many of the teenagers were in the air on the old Weasley brooms, chasing after the practice snitch. Harry, being the most skilled and having the fastest broom, caught the snitch every time.

Molly made her way over to her husband and the others, who were discussing various matters regarding the Ministry. She sat beside Arthur and listened quietly as she studied the black dog that was running back forth chasing Harry on his broom.

She knew that Sirius had talked to Harry at great length yesterday about his uncle and the trial, but she was didn't know if Harry had made his decision about testifying yet. Molly hoped that the small boy had opened up to his godfather about what happened to him, seeing that he had all but refused to speak to anyone else about it. She had been eager to have another opportunity to talk to Sirius today about them permanently taking custody of Harry, but figured that now was probably not the time.

After a short while, Harry and his friends landed on the ground, sweaty and out of breath. She watched as they set their brooms aside and decided to play a game of Exploding Snap. She had wondered about having some organized games for the children to play, but later decided they were probably too old for that now and they were perfectly capable of entertaining themselves.

Having nothing else to do and tired of the endless conversation about Ministry affairs, she set to work cleaning up some of the mess, listening to the children endless conversation and laughter.

In a world in which an unseen danger was looming closer and closer, the laughter of these young and innocent souls was music to Molly's ears.

* * *

Ron had chosen to sit with Hermione and Ginny while he watched the others play Exploding Snap, waiting for his turn to play. Harry was currently playing against Neville, Dean, and Seamus with a slight grin on his face. It was nice to see his friend back to his "old self" and Ron glad that he was able to help create this special birthday for him. Fred and George were giving a play by play of what was happening, and being their usual annoying selves.

"So is Harry really okay?" Hermione asked him for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"Yes, 'Mione. He's fine. Look at him… does he look like he's not okay?" Ron asked.

"Well, he seems fine, but you know how Harry can be…" she complained. "He never admits when he needs help."

"I know…" Ron answered quietly.

Ever since she had arrived at the party she had been questioning him over and over about what happened in the car accident and how Harry was recovering. Harry didn't know it, but Ron had secretly written a letter to their other best friend a few days ago explaining what had happened to him. He knew that Harry could never bring himself to say anything about it because he thought it was "no big deal" but he couldn't do that to Hermione. She deserved to know. If the tables had been turned, she would have written him as well. They had some sort of unspoken oath that they would always look out for Harry and let each other know when he was in trouble.

However, Ron couldn't bring himself to reveal to Hermione his suspicions about Harry's relatives. That would somehow be breaking Harry's trust, and Ron didn't want to ruin any chances of them getting together. If something more was going on, it would be up to Harry to tell them in his own time.

"I'm just glad that I got the owl with the invitation in time to come to Harry's party. I hated leaving Viktor like that, but I didn't want to miss Harry's birthday either," Hermione reasoned. "He seemed to understand."

"How is Viktor anyway?" Ginny asked.

Hermione quickly clarified that they were still just friends, but she hoped that it might turn into something more. She excitedly began explaining how she met Krum's family and all the interesting places he had taken her. Ron growled in annoyance and jumped up from the table. He didn't know why Hermione dating Krum irritated him so much, but it just did.

Turning his head slightly as he walked away Ron saw his mother beginning to clean up after all of them determinedly. He had known she wouldn't be able to stand the mess for very long, and it looked as if she were going to try and tidy up a bit around them all.

Seeing that Harry was preoccupied with his guests, Ron began helping his mother clean up some of the gift wrappings that now littered the ground. He appreciated the lengths his family had gone to making Harry's birthday special and he knew that his mother was largely responsible for the party's success.

He picked up several pieces of brightly colored paper, noticing once again how some of the designs on the wrapping moved. He was particularly taken with a design that depicted Viktor Krum on his broomstick chasing after the snitch for Bulgaria. The wizarding world loved Quidditch more than anything and was very keen on using it in merchandizing, so it wasn't too surprising that Krum's face was plastered on something like gift wrapping after his amazing performance at the Quidditch World Cup last year. Bulgaria hadn't even won, but Krum was still bloody amazing. That Wronski Feint had been incredible!

Ron thought he might like to keep a scrap of the wrapping paper add it to his collection of Krum memorabilia, which consisted of an autograph and an action figure in his likeness, but then thought better of it. He quickly balled up the wrapping and tossed it in a nearby trash bin. He didn't even really like the action figure of Krum now, especially since it had a missing arm from when Ron had angrily torn it off. He felt sort of stupid for ever buying it at the World Cup.

Looking back he wondered if his obsession with Krum wasn't some sort of mild crush. Ron had only just now become aware of his sexuality because of Harry, but maybe he had already had inclinations towards the same sex before he even understood what it all meant. Krum wasn't exactly good looking or anything, but his sheer natural talent as an athlete was attractive somehow. He had been just as fan crazed as the girls at Hogwarts when he realized that Krum had come to their school to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. But as soon as he realized he would be competing against Harry, his attitude quickly changed. He knew where his loyalties lay.

Ron picked up a few more pieces of paper and decorative ribbon from the ground and stuffed them into the trash bin. He wished he could use his wand. It certainly would make this task much easier.

He heard his mother sigh loudly when she finally discovered what he was doing. "Ronnie, you don't have to help me clean up. I can manage faster than you anyways using magic. You go and have fun with Harry."

"Alright," he answered agreeably. Before he turned to go back to his friend, he quickly turned around and gave his mother a hug. "Thanks mum for throwing this party for Harry."

"Of course, dear," his mother said with a smile.

Ron walked back towards the others somewhat reluctantly. It appeared as if Hermione and Ginny were still discussing Krum so he walked around to the other side to watch the game. Well… he really wasn't watching the game. He was actually watching Harry, but at least he could pretend the game was what he was interested in.

Ron watched as Harry's facial features break into a smile once more, and wondered what it would be like to kiss those exquisite pink lips. He imagined he would taste sweet like candy, but that was just silly, wasn't it? People weren't supposed to taste sweet.

They had had a really nice walk out in the orchard before the party that day and they had gotten to talking about many different things. Somehow another they began discussing their friends. Harry revealed to him that not only was he his best mate, but that he was also the first friend he had ever had. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Ron remembered Harry mentioning that once before, but he had always believed that had been a gross exaggeration. Apparently, Dudley had always scared off anyone that showed Harry a remote interest to keep him as miserable as possible. It saddened him to think of Little Harry without a friend in the world or anyone to love him. Ron wished he had known him before they came to Hogwarts. How would their relationship be different now?

Ron had almost told Harry how he felt about him on several occasions during their walk this afternoon, but then thought better of it. Harry's friendship meant too much to Ron to risk destroying it by revealing his true feelings. He would wait until he knew for sure how Harry felt to make his first move.

Ron's thoughts were broken by Hermione's sudden exclamation.

"That's a peculiar looking owl!" Hermione said, pointing to the sky. "I think its delivering a letter to someone here."

Ron and the others turned to look in the direction she was pointing and saw the large owl heading towards the Burrow.

"I've never seen anything like it before," Ron commented, watching as the majestic beast circled carefully above their heads until it found the person it was looking for.

Landing neatly on the picnic table by the adults, the bird of prey gave a haunting hoot and extended it's leg toward Remus, who promptly took the letter that that had been attached there with a piece of leather. Padfoot, who had been lying beneath the table, stood up and leaned over Remus's arm to read the letter as well. Not even waiting for a reply, the strange looking owl took flight once more.

"Dumbledore! Arthur!" Remus suddenly shouted, jumping to his feet. "We have… matters to take care of..." he said carefully so that prying ears wouldn't understand what he meant. Remus quickly turned his attention to the other adults and seemed to be explaining the situation.

Ron, Harry, and Hermione approached Remus warily, wondering if the contents of the letter revealed bad news. "What's going on?" Harry asked.

Remus looked down at him and then over at the trio's friends. Lowering his voice so that only they could hear he said, "Our source in Bulgaria says that Voldemort is planning on attacking a wizarding village in Britain in the near future. Apparently he isn't too happy about Fudge and the Ministry failing to recognize his rebirth."

"Xavier?" Harry asked Remus quietly under his breath.

Padfoot barked consent. Ron could only assume that Sirius had at some point told Harry the name of their source.

Dumbledore then motioned everyone to come near. "We have very important matters to take care of. I'm afraid that everyone is going to have to leave."

Seamus, Dean, and Neville groaned in protest, having not even finished their game.

"Professor, what's going on?" asked Dean.

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say. There is no immediate danger, only information that needs to analyzed and dealt with as soon as possible," answered Professor Dumbledore.

Seamus looked up at the aged wizard in awe. "Is this about You-Know-Who?"

"You are wiser than many give you credit for Mr. Finnigan," said the Professor. "If you have your portkey ready I suggest that you begin to head home."

"Yes, Professor," they said. Neville, Seamus, and Dean said their goodbyes to Harry and the others and then touched the portkey that had brought them here from the Leaky Cauldron.

Once they were gone, Ron's father said, "We need to meet at headquarters to analyze this latest development and strategize when the attack might occur. Severus might already know something." The other Order members that had gathered around nodded in agreement.

"I think we should bring the children to headquarters with us again," Ron's mum protested. "It's too dangerous to leave them here alone."

"They'll be fine, Molly," said Arthur. "I'm not going to leave them completely alone. Besides the message didn't say when there would be an attack. It might be months from now. I doubt it would be tonight…"

"But all the same…"

Transforming back into his human form again, Sirius said, "It's still Harry's birthday and I hate the thought of him cooped up in my mother's house. Let him stay here where he's comfortable and can still enjoy himself."

"Oh alright…" his mum agreed reluctantly.

"Charles, I'm leaving you in charge," Arthur said to his second oldest son, and he turned his attention to the rest of the Order who were now talking amongst themselves. The group then quickly made their goodbyes to Harry and walked towards the Burrow where they could floo to headquarters immediately.

Harry and Hermione began sniggering as they followed the adults inside.

"What's so funny?" asked Ron.

"Sorry, it's a Muggle thing…_Charles in Charge_ was an old American television show," Hermione tried to explain.

"Yeah, so… I still don't get it…" Ron said in frustration.

"Oh never mind…" Hermione said, winking at Harry.

"Are you leaving too?" Harry asked Hermione, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "I'm sure it would be alright if you stayed."

Hermione nodded sadly. "Yeah, I really should be going anyway. I had barely gotten home from Viktor's when I flooed here for the party. My parents haven't been very happy about some of my choices. I suppose I should spend _some_ time with them this summer. I'm sorry we all have to leave your party so soon. I'll try to visit again before the summer is over."

"Okay. Thanks for coming," said Harry warmly. They stopped in front of the fireplace, where the other adults had just flooed away.

"Harry Birthday, Harry. I'm glad that you are doing so well now…"

"Thanks," said Harry with a small smile as he was enveloped once more into a bear hug. When Hermione released him, she said her goodbyes to the others and flooed back home.

Charlie, who had been watching the exchange, announced that he was tired from his long journey today and was going to go rest in Percy's old room. "Wake me if you need anything or if you think there is any danger…" he replied with a tied yawn.

"Thanks, _Charles_, but we can take care of ourselves," said Fred, in a haughty tone.

"Yeah, yeah… whatever…" said the older sibling as he climbed the stairs.

Harry, Ron, Ginny and the twins flopped down onto the couches in the living room and looked at one another hoping that someone will think of something to do.

"Wanna play chess?" Ron asked Harry, seeing as there was nothing else to do.

"Sure, why not," Harry replied happily.

They had about gotten halfway through their game, when they saw the twins whispering to each other secretively. Without a doubt Ron knew they were up so something.

"What?" he asked in annoyed tone when he saw them looking in their direction.

"Oh nothing… we were just wondering if Harry-" began Fred.

"-had sampled the Butterbeers we got him for his birthday yet," finished George.

Both of their eyes were twinkling mischievously. "No, why?" Ron asked. "What did you do to them?"

He knew full well what his brothers were capable of having been the receiving end of quite a few nasty jokes.

"Oh nothing…."

"What did you do?" Ron asked again. The game was completely forgotten now and a few of the chess pieces were complaining about the match left in a stand still.

"Let's just say that we enhanced it a bit…" Fred said mysteriously.

"Enhanced it how?" asked Harry. He had gotten up and grabbed the small case of Butterbeers from the kitchen table, where the rest of his birthday presents had been deposited when the Order members had left in a hurry. He inspected the case and the bottles inside and saw nothing of the ordinary. "What did you do to them?"

"We've added some special ingredients. They're alcoholic!" George said with glee. "Go on, try one!"

"No way! Really?" said Ron excitedly. He grabbed a bottle and twisted off the top and brought it to his lips. Before he took a sip, however, he hesitated. He knew Fred and George to well enough not to be fooled by one of their tricks. "Wait a minute….is my hair going to turn purple? Or will I grow wings or something?"

"We swear no such thing will happen," Fred said earnestly.

"Yeah right!" Ginny snorted. "Just like you never messed with my tube of toothpaste."

"That was a different matter entirely," George said dismissively. He then held up his right hand as he spoke an oath. "We swear on the life of our private investor that those Butterbeers are now alcoholic and will not cause any bodily harm."

Ron heard Harry laugh nervously beside him, but couldn't figure out why. "Oh, alright…"

He took a big swig of Butterbeer but waited a moment before he swallowed just in case. His mouth was filled with the sweet buttery taste, but it had an unmistakable kick as well. He swallowed loudly and felt his throat warm as the liquid slid down to his stomach.

"Wow! That tastes bloody brilliant," Ron said, after another long swig. "How did you do it?"

Fred winked at him. "Now that is a secret dear brother-"

"-but we will tell you that we were inspired by your friend Seamus always trying to turn his water into rum," George replied.

Fred nodded and added, "It took us nearly two years to perfect the formula. We call them BetterBeers."

Ron took another sip and found this new variation of Butterbeer to be quite satisfying. His parents didn't drink often and as a rule the Weasley children were never even allowed a sip of alcohol until they were of age. Drinking the BetterBeer gave Ron the feeling that he was rebelling against his parents in some small way, something he had never really done before.

"Try one, Harry…" Ron said, handing one of the BetterBeers to his best mate.

"I d-don't know…" Harry said slowly.

Staring into Harry's green eyes, Ron saw the anxiety over the situation that Harry was so desperately trying to hide. He mentally kicked himself, once he remembered that Harry's uncle was an alcoholic and had almost killed Harry in a drunk driving accident. He quickly put down the BetterBeer he had offered him and set his own aside.

"Oh my gods, Harry… I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry…" Ron began rambling.

"For what?" Harry asked suddenly.

Ron looked around at his siblings, trying to decide how he was going to say this in front of them without embarrassing Harry. "Well, you know… you were just in an accident involving alcohol…"

Fred and George looked at one another quickly and realized their own mistake. They look utterly horrified. "Harry, we're sorry. We obviously weren't thinking either…" they tried to say.

Ginny quickly rounded on her brothers and said, "I can't believe you did something so thoughtless!"

Harry looked at all of them uncertainly and finally said, "It's no big deal… besides my uncle drinks whiskey… this is different…"

Ron could tell that Harry was trying to show that the thought of drinking alcohol wasn't bothering him, but he knew well enough to know that was what he was doing. He watched as Harry grabbed the BetterBeer he had been offered, screwed off the top, and took a big swig.

"Harry, you don't have to do this…." Ron insisted. He didn't want to push his friend into do anything he didn't want to do.

"Do what?" Harry asked, taking another several swigs. In a matter of moments he had finished half of the bottle. "This is really good!" he exclaimed, his face breaking into a surprised grin.

Ron sighed in relief that Harry was feeling better now about everything, although it could be the effect of the alcohol on his system that had suddenly calmed Harry down. Ginny seemed somewhat relieved as well.

"Thanks," said Fred, uncertainly. He looked like he wanted to apologize again for giving him such an inconsiderate gift, but it appeared as if he didn't know what to say. "I'm glad you liked it…"

The situation was getting increasingly awkward and everybody sensed it. "Oh, go on Ron… it's no big deal…" Harry said, handing him the BetterBeer he had put aside earlier.

Ron took another sip and felt himself relax when he saw the reassuring smile on Harry's face.

"Can I try some?" Ginny asked hopefully, reaching for one of the bottles.

"No, you're too young!" Fred said in a disapproving tone. Ron rolled his eyes at the familiar scene.

"What, you're not serious?" she asked in amazement, as she retracted her hand.

"Dead serous, little sister," George added. The tone of his voice indicated that he wasn't kidding either.

"Harry and Ron are only fifteen and I'm not even a year younger than Harry!" she protested, her face growing red from embarrassment. "We're all underage!"

Fred crossed his arms and firmly said, "Doesn't matter. You're not getting any! Mum would kill us."

"Stop treating me like a baby!" she exclaimed. "Mum will you kill you anyway once she finds out about this."

"Mum won't find out because _you're not going to tell her_," said George. Ron saw him give her a knowing look that silently communicated something along the lines of, "_If you tell, then we tell Harry about your crush on him and how you scribble his name all over your journal."_

That seemed to shut Ginny up for a moment. "It's Harry's birthday and he should get to decide who gets to have one," she whined.

Ginny then looked at Harry hopefully. She leaned forward a bit and batted her eyelashes at him lovingly. Harry could only shrug under the pressure. "I don't mind," he insisted.

"I do," Ron said angrily. He hated how Ginny was always throwing herself at Harry. It was so annoying. "Go flirt was someone else and leave Harry alone. You're not getting any BetterBeers from us."

Ginny jumped up from her seat angrily. "Boys! I swear! They're nothing but ungrateful, selfish idiots that wouldn't know something good if it hit you in the face!" Ginny yelled as she stomped upstairs.

"Well, that did it. You two boys have fun," said Fred, rising to his feet. "We are going to retreat upstairs to our laboratory."

"Laboratory?" Harry mouthed to Ron curiously.

"Their room… it's what they call it now," Ron whispered back with a grin.

George stood up beside his brother and said, "Just be sure that you don't drink all the BetterBeers tonight. We are still trying to work out the strength. And don't tell mum and dad about our new invention. Okay?"

"Okay!" Ron and Harry agreed, clinking their bottles together.

They watched the twins retreat upstairs and went back to playing their game, happily sipping the flavorful drink as they played. As Ron began to reach the bottom of his drink, he felt an odd sort of fuzziness slide over him and he wondered just how strong these BetterBeers really were.

"So is this your first time drinking alcohol?" Harry asked casually as he ordered his knight to take one of Ron's pawns.

"No, I've had a sip of wine once or twice when I was younger from my grandmother. Mum doesn't know," Ron added, as if that was somehow important.

"Well, it's my first time. I don't see what the fuss is all about," replied Harry. Ron got the distinct impression that he was trying to sound cool.

Ron ordered his queen to checkmate Harry's king and let out a triumphant whoop when he won the game. In celebration, they both down the rest of their bottles and grabbed another.

Their second game of chess was much more interesting than the first. With the added help of alcohol everything seemed hilariously funny to them. Both he and Harry encouraged the chess pieces to fight one another and cheered uproariously when once piece took out another. Ron's pieces were used to his carefully calculated strategies, and it when it appeared that he was purposely trying to lose the game to see them take each other out they began fighting with him. Harry wasn't doing so well either. Ron's sides ached with laughter and tears rolled down his face when Harry started getting the pieces names confused and protested that they weren't doing what he told them to do. Utter chaos started on the board, and a small battle of sorts occurred between the chess pieces before both sides finally admitted defeat.

When they calmed down a little, they decided to call the game a draw and start over again. As they collected their pieces their hands touched slightly, sending what felt like electric sparks up Ron's arm. He stopped for a moment not really wanting to pull away and looked into Harry's eyes. Harry stared back for a moment uncertainly and finally took his hand away so he could set up his side of the board again.

"That was fun…" Harry said. "I don't think I've ever laughed so hard."

"Me neither," Ron replied. "These Betterbeers are really good."

"I agree." Harry then took another big swig of his drink and set his drink down heavily. It nearly fell over onto the chess set and he had to clumsily catch it before it spilled completely. "Oops," he said, as he used his sleeve to clean the spot of liquid that had fallen onto the black and white checkered board.

"You're drunk aren't you?" Ron asked, giggling to himself.

Harry looked confused at first, and it seemed his brain was slow at processing everything. "Huh? What? No, I'm not. I've only had two of these things," Harry replied nonchalantly. "My u-uncle drinks a whole bottle of whiskey sometimes. He gets really smashed. I avoid him when he's like that."

Ron thought it was odd that Harry had added that comment, but couldn't think of what to say in response. If Ron questioned him about his suspicions, Harry would probably just deny everything anyway. Instead he said, "Did you like your party?"

"Yes, I like you a lot… I mean the p-party… I liked the party…" Harry said, his face growing red when he realized what he said.

"I like you too…" Ron said quickly, hoping Harry would understand.

Harry blinked at him in surprise and Ron held his breath in anticipation. If he was hoping for something to magical to happen next, it certainly didn't.

"Is it getting hot in here?" Harry suddenly asked, tugging at the neck of his shirt uncomfortably. "I feel all warm…"

"I think it's the alcohol. This stuff is pretty strong." Ron quickly finished off his bottle, and reached for another. "You want another one?"

"I d-don't know…"

"We can share one," Ron suggested, handing him the bottle he had opened and drank from.

"Okay," Harry agreed happily, giggling for some odd reason.

Together they quickly polished off the bottle, each one finding the act of putting their lips where the others once were somehow romantic.

"Do you want to play another game?" Ron suggested.

Harry shook his head. "Nah…I'm feelin' kinda sleepy. You're going to beat me anyway."

"Alright, what do you want to do then?" Ron asked.

"Mmm… don't know. I'm really tired," said Harry, yawning loudly. "I think I need to stretch my legs..."

Ron watched as Harry stood up wobbly. He nearly fell over and had to hold onto the arm of the couch to steady himself.

"Whoa… my head is really spinning now…" Harry commented. He grasped his hair at the sides of his temples, making it look messier than usual. "Ugh! What's in those things!"

"You alright?" Ron asked, growing a bit concerned. He stood up besides Harry and felt the blood rush to his head immediately. He understood now why his friend was having such a hard time.

"M-maybe we should go to bed. I'm feelin' kinda whoozy…" Harry slurred heavily.

"Yeah," Ron agreed. His own head was spinning now as well.

Ron cleaned up the empty bottles as best as he could and placed them back in the case. He couldn't seem to find the bottle caps anywhere, but figured it wasn't important. He shoved the box under the living room chair, where he hoped it would stay hidden until morning when he could dispose of the bottles properly. Right now his head was just too fuzzy to think clearly about it.

Harry walked heavily towards the stairs and grabbed the handrail tightly. He looked like he was going to fall over at any minute. Ron watched in amusement as his friend lifted his foot several times trying to find the first step but missed each time.

"Let me help you out there mate," said Ron, crossing the room and grabbing Harry under the arms.

Together they made the difficult journey up the flights of stairs to his room at the top. Ron had to help Harry all the way up, swaying under the added weight. He could barely walk upright himself and having Harry leaning on him was making climbing the stairs quite difficult.

Harry was giggling beside him at something or another all the while. Ron didn't mind, not as long as they were together.

Ron was so bloody plastered now that he didn't even register the fact that they had knocked down several family portraits off the walls as they staggered from side to side. A vase, which was a family heirloom, that sat on one of the landings was knocked over as well and shattered on the stairs below. Ron looked behind him when he heard the noise but found that he couldn't bring himself to care about it at the moment. All that mattered was reaching the top of this impossible summit. He didn't even notice his brothers or sister poking their heads out of their rooms to investigate all the commotion.

Ron's head was feeling so lightheaded as they climbed up that he was grateful that they had even made it all the way to the top of the stairs alive. He thought for sure that they were going to fall to their deaths. When they had finally made it top, Ron pushed open the door and led Harry inside.

"Ron, I feel really dizzy…" Harry muttered.

Ron turned around just in time to catch Harry as he tripped over a discarded t-shirt that had been left on the floor. As he did so he grabbed Harry by the arms and their faces smashed into each other.

Then something amazing happened.

Ron reached out and kissed Harry on the lips, but instead of pulling away, Harry kissed him back. Ron leaning down at little in order to reach him properly and pulled the smaller boy's body closer to him. Ron then opened his mouth slightly and caught Harry's lips between his own, hungrily tasting what he had wanted for so long. He found that the smaller boy's lips really were sweet, but later decided that it was probably just from the BetterBeers.

They both pulled back after a few seconds and smiled at one other lovingly. Their first kiss had been with each other and it had been utterly sweet, even if it was a little bumbling. At least they both knew now how they felt about each other. Ron was about to lean down for another, when he saw Harry's face grimace.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly, thinking he had done something to upset him.

"I think I'm going to be sick…" Harry whispered, as he covered his mouth with his hand.

That was not what he expected Harry to say after their first kiss. Not knowing what else to do, Ron dizzily grabbed his waste basket and dumped out all of the papers in it onto the floor. He then shoved it under Harry's face who promptly threw up into it.

Ron helped Harry kneel down to the floor as he continued to be sick and rubbed his back comfortingly. Although he was concerned about Harry, he made sure that he pointed his nose away from the smelly waste basket seeing that he was close to getting sick himself.

When it seemed that Harry was not going to be sick any longer, he helped his friend take off his shoes and put him into bed. By now Harry was barely coherent and close to falling asleep. Ron set the wastebasket next to the bed just in case and then rubbed Harry's fringe on his forehead lovingly.

"Are you okay?" Ron asked, leaning down a bit. He couldn't make out what Harry was mumbling back to him so he asked, "What was that?"

It sounded like he was saying, "_My wishes came true,"_ but Ron couldn't begin to understand what that meant right now. He would have to ask him again later.

Unfortunately, as Ron stood up he got a whiff of the wastebasket beside the bed. Feeling his own stomach beginning to lurch he ran from the bedroom and barreled downstairs to the bathroom where he emptied his stomach into the toilet.

He had never felt so sick in his life. There was a terrible taste in his throat and his stomach felt sour and painful. He had broken in to a sweat and his head ached severely. When he was sure he was no longer in danger of retching, Ron sat back against the cool tile wall and laid his cheek against the cold surface

Somehow he knew that this little incident with the BetterBeers wasn't going to go unnoticed. He barely even noticed Fred poke his head into the bathroom.

"Are you okay, Ronnie?" he asked, squatting down beside him.

Ron tried to shake his head, but found that the movement only made matters worse. "I thought you said those BetterBeers wouldn't cause bodily harm?" he asked angrily.

"Well they're not supposed to. We told you not to drink them all at once!"

"We only had like two each!" Ron exclaimed.

"Oh no, this isn't good," said George, who had suddenly appeared at his twins side. "They shouldn't have had a reaction like this!"

Fred nodded. "Maybe we should clean up this mess on the stairway before Charlie sees it."

"Too late," Ron heard Ginny say from out in the hallway.

"What the hell happened here!"

* * *

A/N: Okay, that probably wasn't what you were all expecting for Ron and Harry's first kiss, but it was what I had planned on all along. Both are having a hard time making the first move and alcohol has a wonderful way of making someone lose their inhibitions. I wanted them still struggle a bit in their relationship, seeing as they are still so young. Don't worry, they'll work it out in the end.

A/N2: This was a really hard chapter for me to write. I've decided I hate writing birthday scenes and telling Sirius everything that has happened to Harry. Both are just too hard to deal with and I find myself frustrated and grumpy at my lack of unoriginality. I hope that you all like this chapter anyway. I tried really hard to keep it different than the scenes I wrote for my "_Soul Mate Series_." Let me know your thoughts.

**Many thanks to all my readers and reviewers! Thanks for putting up with the infrequent updates and still giving me positive feedback to work with. I appreciate it!**


	14. Hangovers and Heartaches

A/N: The author alert for my last chapter was apparently never sent. Don't know why. (shrugs shoulders) Well, enjoy the chapter.

**Chapter 14- Hangovers and Heartaches **

Harry awoke the next morning and decided that he had never felt so sick in his life. His head was pounding unmercifully and his stomach ached something fierce. It wasn't just that his stomach was sour; it was as if his abdominal muscles were sore as well. There was an awful taste in the back of Harry's throat and his teeth felt fuzzy and gross.

He could vaguely remember how Ron had taken care of him throughout the night, bringing him glasses of water and making sure that he didn't get sick in the bed. He was also pretty sure that a few other people had checked on him in the middle of the night, but he couldn't remember who or why.

He blinked open his eyes slowly and had to squint against the harsh morning light. He could barely see without his glasses on, but he could just make out Ron's form lying haphazardly across his own bed. Harry reached up to feel for his glasses on his nightstand, but was overcome with a bout of nausea before he could even find them. He tried to sit up hoping that an upright position would help, but his nose caught a whiff of the smelly wastebasket beside his bed. Someone must have used a "scourgify" charm on it last night to clean out the contents because it was now empty, but for some reason the smell was still lingering.

Harry's mouth began watering, signaling that he was going to be sick again. He would have rather have made it to the bathroom but found that his stomach wasn't willing to cooperate. Before he could even register what was happening, Harry was retching again into the wastebasket. Unfortunately for him, he found himself dry heaving quite painfully. He had completely emptied the contents of his stomach last night and there was nothing left to come up.

Hearing his friend getting sick, Ron woke up on the other side of the room and stumbled toward him. He seemed to be having a hard time as well, although not nearly as bad as Harry.

"Bloody hell, mate, aren't you feeling any better yet?" Ron asked him, worriedly.

"No," Harry replied, letting out one final cough and then wiping his mouth of the spittle with the back of his hand. "Sorry…"

"Don't be sorry, mate…" Ron said quietly. He then reached out and rubbed his back lovingly as Harry attempted to gain control of his body again. Why was he so nauseous? They hadn't really had enough alcohol to make them this sick, had they?

"_Oh no,"_ Harry suddenly realized. "_I kissed Ron last night. Or did he kiss me? Was I just imagining it, or did it really happen?"_ Harry had been really too drunk to remember, but he knew that something had happened last night that had changed their relationship.

He looked up into Ron's blue eyes and saw only concern there. He sighed in frustration, wishing he knew the truth without having to come out and ask; which he certainly wasn't about to do. What if he was wrong?

Harry looked down and saw that he was wearing the clothes he had on yesterday. He idly wondered why he hadn't changed into pajamas or when he had even gone to bed. He couldn't remember the reason for either one.

Feeling somewhat better, he sat back on his bed and reached for his glasses again. Unfortunately, the combination of the sudden motion and the image of the bright Chudley Cannon orange walls as he looked up caused his unceasing nausea to come on again. Harry held his head in his hands and willed away the watering in his mouth. He couldn't lose it again in front of Ron. He was embarrassed enough as it was. Much to his relief, the retching sensation soon went away, so he concentrated on willing away his now pounding headache instead.

"Are you alright?" Ron asked him, rubbing his back again.

"I don't know…" Harry admitted. He had been ill before, but never quite like this.

Ron looked at him quizzically and seemed to want to say something more to him, but there was suddenly a knock on the door. Harry saw Ron's eyes widen in fear and knew that there was no way of disguising their obvious illness. His parents were bound to find out they had been drinking last night and they would undoubtedly get in trouble.

"Come in," Ron said weakly, his face paling a little more. He removed his hand from rubbing Harry's back and sat up a little straighter.

Mrs. Weasley opened the door and stepped inside. Her arms were crossed over her chest, but Harry saw that she had carried in two vials of some sort of potion in one of her hands. Harry felt himself begin to falter under her piercing gaze.

"I see you're both finally awake. How are you feeling?" she asked knowingly.

"Awful…" Ron muttered in defeated tone.

"Well, I imagine so after the little drinking binge you two went on last night. I'm surprised by you, Ronnie… I thought you knew better than that…" Mrs. Weasley said in a shameful tone.

"I'm sorry…" Ron said, looking down at his hands instead of meeting his mother's disapproving gaze.

"Don't tell me you're sorry… you should be telling Harry you're sorry."

Ron finally looked up at her, confusion written all over his face. "Do you have any idea how much this little incident of yours has hurt Harry's delicate system? Did you even take into consideration that Harry's stomach couldn't handle even the smallest amount of alcohol? You might be feeling a little worse for wear, Ronald, but imagine how Harry's feeling just now…"

Harry was a little startled by this revelation and he felt his stomach clench uncomfortably in embarrassment. Ron seemed to know that his stomach problems were more than just a result of the accident. He had the distinct impression that they had talked about him when he wasn't around. Did Ron know that his family had starved him? Harry couldn't help but feel a little hurt by this breech in trust.

Ron gave Harry a guilty look and then stared back down at his lap shamefully. It was obvious that Harry was having a much harder time dealing with the alcohol because of his compromised system and his small stature. But this really wasn't Ron's fault so he shouldn't have to feel this way. Harry had wanted to try the BetterBeers as much as Ron did, even if he did have a few reservations about it. He hated the thought of his best friend getting in trouble over this.

"Mrs. Weasley… it's my f-fault… I talked Ron into-" Harry tried to say.

Ron's mum gave Harry a reproachful glare. "Don't you even start, Harry… I know perfectly well what my sons are capable of!"

Harry and Ron looked at one another when they heard the words _sons_. Did she already know where the alcohol had come from? They didn't want to get Fred and George in trouble too on top of it all. Neither one had been planning on telling her where they had gotten it from, but it probably wasn't hard to figure out either.

Mrs. Weasley seemed to know what they were thinking. "Yes, I know where the alcohol came from. Charlie made Fred and George confess when we arrived home last night. They are being dealt with as well. I must say… I'm a little more than shocked by your behavior. Ronald… you know you are not allowed to drink until you are of age! You had no business accepting those modified Butterbeers when you knew what was in them! I am very disappointed in you!"

Ron seemed to sink even further into the bed at his mother's disapproval. Harry wasn't sure how things worked in a "normal" family, but from his friend's reaction it appeared that hearing his mother's disappointment with him was just as bad as any punishment she could dish out. He looked as though all the air had deflated out of him.

Mrs. Weasley sighed in frustration. "Now, this is against my better wishes, but I have two hangover potions for you to take. Normally I would allow you both to suffer with the consequences of your actions, but Harry's system can't handle something like this right now. And I can't very well offer him a potion and then allow you to suffer Ron, so here…" she said, thrusting a vial of a potion to each of them.

"Thanks," Ron said gratefully. Both of them swallowed the awful potion in a few gulps, grimacing at the horrid taste.

"I would have offered it to you both last night, but we needed to make sure you had most of the alcohol out of your system. This concoction the twins made was much stronger than most drinks and there was no telling what effect the hangover potion would have on you until we were sure it as all out of your system," Mrs. Weasley explained. "You should begin to feel better soon. Harry, you might still have a slight stomach ache but if it gets any worse let me know and we can fire call Madam Pomfrey for another potion that you can take."

Harry nodded but found he couldn't say anything in response. He did in fact feel much better already. His headache had vanished and he no longer felt nauseous. His stomach was still a bit sour, but he imagined it would begin to feel better over time.

"Well, both of you need to shower and get dressed. Come down stairs when you are ready and I will have lunch prepared," she explained. "By the way, your father, Ron, will be speaking to the both of you when you are done eating so don't think you have gotten off so easily."

"Yes, mum," Ron replied tiredly. He stood up and went across the room to fetch some clean clothing. Harry went to follow suit and found that his left ankle hurt as soon as he put any pressure on it.

"Ow!" Harry yelped when he tried to take another step. He sat back down on the bed and examined the sore ankle carefully, trying to remember how he injured it.

Mrs. Weasley, who was about to leave the room, quickly turned around and came over to see what was wrong. Ron followed close behind, glancing at Harry again worriedly.

"What's the matter, dear?" Mrs. Weasley said kindly, when she saw the pain in Harry's eyes.

"My ankle hurts, but I don't know why…" Harry began to say, but then remembered something from last night. "Oh, that's right… I t-tripped over something on the floor and…"

Harry glanced at Ron over Mrs. Weasley's shoulder and saw him grinning slightly at the memory. Maybe the kiss really did happen! He hadn't even felt the pain in his ankle last night due to his drunken state and the fact that he had felt blissfully happy for a fleeting moment.

"Probably one of Ron's shirts I bet. I've told him a thousand times to clean up around his room better," said Mrs. Weasley picking up a discarded t-shirt from the floor and tossing it onto the night stand. "Let me see that ankle."

Harry nodded in consent and removed his sock carefully as Ron's mum knelt before him. His ankle was painfully swollen and very bruised on the outside. Mrs. Weasley clucked at the injury and said, "This is the same ankle you hurt in the accident, isn't it?"

"Yes," Harry replied.

"I thought so. Magically healed joints have a tendency to re-injure if not taken care of properly. Looks like this was just a sprain this time. I should be able to mend it," said Mrs. Weasley, taking out her wand. Harry raised his brows in surprise that she was capable of such healing magic. "Don't worry, Harry, you don't raise seven children and not learn a spell or to along the way at how to heal scrapes and bruises." A soft blue glow that Harry recognized as a healing charm shot of out her wand and hit Harry's ankle. The joint became warmer and warmer until the flesh surrounding it began to return to normal. "There, good as new… now be careful on that ankle for a few days so that you don't injure it again."

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you," Harry said softly, rolling his ankle about to test that it was really healed. He stood up and put some pressure on it and found that it no longer hurt. He imagined that it might be tender for a few days, but he could live with that. He was used to dealing with aches and pains on his body, not only from his time with the Dursleys, but also because of the numerous amounts of injuries he seemed to sustain while attending Hogwarts. If he didn't know better, he would swear he was accident prone.

"I'll see you downstairs then…" said Mrs. Weasley again.

They were left alone again and Harry couldn't begin to feel more awkward. He desperately wanted to know if that kiss last night, which he was sure now really happened, meant as much to Ron as it did to him. It had sort of happened accidentally and Harry didn't want to read too much into it, especially when the details were still a little fuzzy.

Only thing Harry could remember clearly was the feeling that he was finally "home." In Ron's arms, he felt safe, like nothing bad could ever happen to him again. He badly wanted to be back in that place.

Neither one of them ended up mentioning the kiss. Instead they took their turns showering and changing, opting to speak as little as possible. Harry wasn't sure if Ron was as nervous as he was at the idea of being scolded by his father, but right now it was all he could think about.

When they couldn't postpone the inevitable any longer, they made their way downstairs to the kitchen. Harry made sure that he favored his left ankle slightly as he descended the steps, mindful that he might sprain it again if he wasn't careful.

They found Mr. Weasley quietly eating at the kitchen table while reading the Daily Prophet. Charlie had already left to go back to Romania. Apparently he had wanted to stick around to talk to them both, but simply couldn't wait any longer as the boys had quite a lie in. Harry wished that he could have said goodbye and thanked Charlie again for coming all this way for his birthday. It had been awfully kind and Harry appreciated it greatly.

The twins and Ginny were no where to be seen and had presumably already eaten lunch since it was so late in the day. Ron and Harry both sat down quietly and took the plates of sandwiches that Mrs. Weasley had offered them. Harry really wasn't hungry right now and the thought of food was revolting, but he knew he wouldn't be able to skip any meals at the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley was determined to fatten him up.

As hard as he tried, Harry found that he could barely eat he was so nervous about this supposed conversation. He had never known Mr. Weasley to be so quiet and it was quite unnerving. He looked like he was furious with them and his face was slightly reddened, contrasting sharply with his hair color. Normally Harry would be very curious to know what was going on in the wizarding world and would ask if he could read a section of the Daily Prophet. But today he found no such courage to ask. He didn't even dare to glance up at the back of the paper to look at the moving pictures. He felt even more anxious about the situation because Mrs. Weasley had disappeared to somewhere else in the house or possibly outside. Her presence would have been reassuring somehow. Harry didn't really expect Mr. Weasley to react the way his uncle would, but he still found the whole scenario disconcerting.

Harry made one last attempt to eat another bite of the bland sandwich and then pushed his plate away. Ron had managed to eat quite a bit more than Harry, but finally pushed his plate away as well.

Seeing that both the boys were done, Arthur folded up his newspaper and set it aside. He then crossed his arms over his chest and stared at each one of them intently.

"I don't even know where to begin… I'm very angry right now at the choices you have both made…" Arthur started. He waited for a few moments letting his words sink a bit, and Harry could feel his insides churning anxiously. "Let's start with these so called BetterBeers… I know it was the twins who made them, but why did you both drink them if you knew they were alcoholic?"

"We just wanted to try it dad. It's no big deal…" said Ron. Harry inwardly cringed, knowing that this was probably the wrong thing to say. He knew better than trying to refute what an angry adult was saying, no matter what it was. It was better to plead guilty and stay quiet. It was safer that way. Harry held his breath and waited for the explosion.

Mr. Weasley looked at Ron angrily. "No big deal? No big deal, my son says… I happen to think underage drinking is a very big deal. You know your mother and I frown upon it. Do you see your mother and me taking pleasure in drink on a regular basis or in large quantities?"

"Well, no…" Ron admitted reluctantly.

"That's right, because in this household drinking is only acceptable in moderate quantities and when you are of age…Do you have any idea the amount of alcohol you both consumed last night?" he asked.

"I guess not…Mum said that the Betterbeers had more alcohol than most drinks. But we only had two and half bottles each," explained Ron. Harry couldn't bring himself to answer any of Ron's father's questions right now, and he was grateful that his friend bravely could.

"Well, I had the rest of these so-called BetterBeers tested and the alcohol content in each is the equivalent to three glasses of wine!" Mr. Weasley replied knowingly.

Harry and Ron were both shocked by that revelation. "We didn't know that," Ron tried to explain. "We wouldn't have drunk them if we'd known they were that strong. Fred and George must have gotten the formula wrong!"

"Well they obviously did, but that's beside the point. You shouldn't have drunk any in the first place. I know the twins can be convincing, but you gave into the temptation. I thought you were made of stronger stuff than that Ron…" The disappointment in his voice was clearly evident. Harry imagined that this must have been one of the worst things Ron had ever done.

Ron looked down at his hands wringing together in his lap, looking properly ashamed.

"Harry, I'm especially surprised by you. I thought _you_ would at least know better!" Mr. Weasley yelled angrily, turning on him now.

Harry didn't have to ask to know what the man meant. He was referring to the fact that Harry would try any kind of alcohol after seeing the effects it had on his uncle all these years.

Harry could feel himself trembling slightly in fear. No matter how many times he reminded himself that this was Arthur Weasley and not Vernon Dursley, he couldn't help but be afraid of what was going to happen to him. He didn't honestly think the man was going to strike them, but his fear had grown to such irrational heights that he was beginning to think that anything was possible. What was even worse, however, was the fear that he might somehow be kicked out of their home for this awful infraction. Where would he go? Would he be sent back to the Dursleys? He certainly couldn't testify against his uncle then. It would be suicide.

Turning away from Harry, Mr. Weasley stood up and retrieved something from across the room. "I'm sure you didn't realize it, but in your drunken state you managed to knock down and break several picture frames and your mother's lovely vase."

He set several broken frames on the table and pieces of the vase. Harry couldn't remember knocking anything down on their way upstairs, last night but they had been rather clumsy climbing the steps, leaning on one another and swaying back and forth. It was quite possible that it had happened.

Several of the frames were various family portraits and the Weasley siblings could be seen pointing and gesturing to the cracked glass and broken frames in amusement. In each picture, "Ron" could be seen standing away from his brothers and sister looking quite guilty and a bit sulky.

"I'm s-sorry…" Harry said in a shaky voice. He had never felt so guilty before and the emotion was tearing at his chest.

"I'm sorry too dad, but I don't know why you're so mad. These can be fixed with a simple reparo charm!" Ron retorted, looking a bit braver. Harry glanced at him in surprise. He would never have the audacity to speak in such a manner to an adult.

"It doesn't matter that it can be fixed with magic. That is not the point, Ronald. The point is that it ever happened!" Mr. Weasley explained, standing over them now.

Ron sat back huffily and crossed his arms over his chest in defiance.

"You have both been in your fair share of scrapes, but I swear that sometimes you two go looking for trouble…I've never been so disappointed in the choices you've made! And that's saying something!"

"Sorry," both Ron and Harry muttered.

"It's going to take a very long while before your mother and I trust you again…"

Ron nodded sadly and took a deep breath to steady himself. Harry imagined that this was the worst part of what they did. Losing his parents' trust.

"Now as for you punishment…" At the very word, Harry closed his eyes tightly, feeling himself beginning to panic. What were they going to do to them?

"Dad, we said we're sorry…" Ron tried reason.

"I know you're sorry, but you're not getting away with this without some form of punishment!" Mr. Weasley yelled at his son. "Now listen to me…you are going to work together to clean out the old shed behind the house."

"_Well that didn't sound too bad…"_ Harry thought to himself, feeling some of his panic beginning to wane. Obviously Ron didn't agree. "But Dad, that shed is filled with loads of old junk and has tons of spiders!" He shivered slightly in disgust.

"Well, you're just going to have to sort it all out and ignore the spiders, now won't you?" Mr. Weasley replied, a slight hint of amusement in his voice.

"But that'll take all day!" Ron whined.

"Then I suggest you get started soon!" Upon seeing Ron's disgruntled appearance he added, "The twins are being punished as well, so don't think you're the only ones… this is as much their fault as it is yours…"

"Fine," said Ron, apparently satisfied now that they weren't the only ones being punished.

"I want you both to make me a promise… that you will never take another drink before you are of age," said Mr. Weasley firmly.

"We promise," they said in unison. Harry didn't even want to look at another glass or bottle of alcohol any time soon.

"Good, I hope you learned your lessons…you may go now…"

Harry and Ron stood up together and turned to go outside, but unfortunately Harry caught the eye of Mr. Weasley. He couldn't seem to make his hands stop shaking from his anxiety and he knew that Ron's father had seen. Thankfully his best mate had yet to notice his discomfort.

"Actually… Harry could you stay behind… I'd like to talk to you for a moment…"

Harry felt his heart drop into his stomach wondering what he wanted to say to him alone. Ron gave an apologetic shrug and told him he would meet him outside. Harry sat back down at the kitchen table and took a deep breath, preparing again for the worst. The trembling seemed to have increased slightly and he nearly jumped in surprise when Mr. Weasley sat down beside him.

* * *

Arthur hated having to speak to Ron and Harry that way, but they just had to learn that they couldn't make poor choices such as this and not face the consequences. He felt the conversation had gone well enough and the punishment seemed appropriate amount of work for the crime, so he had been a little more than surprise when he saw how unsettled Harry seemed. The boy was visibly shaking from head to toe, his hands being the most obvious. Had he really been that intimidating in his lecture? What was the boy afraid of? Arthur was regretting that he had been so stern with them now. 

He sat down beside Harry once his youngest son had left and placed a gentle hand on Harry's shoulder, hoping that it would calm him down. It did the opposite instead. Harry, who had apparently not been expecting the touch, flinched violently and almost fell out of his chair.

"Harry… are you okay?" Arthur asked, his voice much softer now than it had been earlier. He lowered his hand and made sure that he didn't do anything else to alarm the boy.

"I'm f-fine… you j-just startled me…" Harry explained, with a nervous laugh as he righted himself. "S-sorry…"

"You don't seem fine. What's wrong?"

"N-nothing. I'm just sorry I d-disappointed you. That's all…" Harry said.

Arthur took a moment to survey the small boy and couldn't help but notice the submissive posture Harry had taken again in his presence. Harry sat quietly in his chair, shoulders hunched, head hanging low, his hands balled into little fists in his lap, shaking uncontrollably. It was clear just how terrified Harry was right now.

"_How many times had Harry assumed this position while living with the Dursleys?"_ Arthur thought sadly. "_What did those people do to him that this is a normal reaction for him?"_

"Harry, look at me," said Arthur softly. Harry slowly raised his head until his green eyes looked up at him fearfully. "Why are you so scared?"

"I'm n-not," Harry said, his teeth beginning to chatter now with nervousness.

"Yes, you are. You're shaking like a leaf. Are you afraid of me?" he asked.

"N-no… not really…" Harry said, tearing his eyes away and looking down once more. "I-I don't know what's wrong with m-me…" His eyes became slightly glassy as Harry wrapped his arms about his waist protectively. He clenched his lips between his teeth in an attempt to keep them from chattering any more, causing his chin to wobble like he was going to cry.

"It's okay. Calm down…" Arthur wished Molly was here just now. She was so much better at these things than him, but he didn't want to upset Harry any more by calling her in here. "Try taking some deep breaths."

Harry did as he was told and took several shaky breaths. It seemed to help a little, but he was still holding his torso protectively.

"You don't ever have to be afraid of me, Harry. I would never harm you," he explained. "I may get upset with you if you make a poor choice and I might even yell if I'm angry or give you some sort of chore as punishment, but I would never ever hurt you, not with my words… not with my fists… do you understand?"

Harry nodded in understanding, but didn't seem very comforted somehow.

"What's wrong… you can tell me, Harry…"

"I don't know… I g-guess I'm just worried…" Harry admitted.

"Worried about what?" he asked curiously.

Harry took another shaky breath and said, "That if I m-mess up I'll get sent back to the Dursleys… I don't want to go back there! I promise I'll be g-good!"

Arthur thought for sure his heart would break upon hearing those words. How could Harry think that they would send him back there after all they had found out about what his so-called relatives had done to him? His mind flashed back to the crayon drawing he had found in Harry's cupboard for a moment, and remembered the overwhelming sense of despair and loneliness he had felt in there. No child should ever feel like that or fear that they would be sent back to such a hell hole if they "messed up." He was so overcome by the plight of this small boy his son had befriended that he put out his arms and said, "Come here."

Harry looked up at him in confusion at first, but finally leaned into the open embrace hesitantly, trying to be polite. Arthur loosely wrapped his arms around Harry and said, "We love you Harry, as much as we love our own children. We will never send you back to those awful people, no matter what you do. You will always be welcomed in our home. Do you understand?"

Harry nodded and said a weak, "Thanks," as he pulled away. He looked a little embarrassed, but otherwise much better than he had before. Hugs were apparently not something he was used to, but at least the trembling had stopped.

Arthur wasn't in the habit of hugging his children's friends, but Harry was an exception. He would do everything in his power to make up for his awful childhood and he was relieved that he was able to offer him a small bit of comfort this afternoon in the form of a hug.

"Are you okay now?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah… s-sorry about everything…" Harry replied.

"It's okay. Why don't you go find Ron and start giving him a hand with that shed? He's going to need your help. Especially when it comes to dealing with the spiders," Arthur said with a knowing grin.

Harry stood up from his chair and said, "Alright… thanks, Mr. Weasley. For… er… talking to me…"

"No problem. Any time…"

Harry gave him an appreciative grin and turned to walk out of the Burrow.

Arthur sat back in his chair and ran a hand tiredly over his face. Talking with the boys had been more difficult than he had expected. He really hadn't meant to scare Harry so badly, and he would have to keep in mind how fragile Harry still was when he dealt with the boy in the future, especially if he became a permanent resident of the Burrow.

"How is he?" asked his wife, as she came up behind him. He had a sneaking suspicion that she had been watching the entire time.

"Alright, I guess. I think I scared him…" Arthur admitted, tilting his head back to look at Molly's kind face.

Molly leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. "You did fine. I think he's just unsure of what to expect from us. He's doesn't know how to behave in a normal family," she offered, running her hands through his hair. "Not that we're exactly normal…"

"I suppose…"

"Do you think he's going to be okay?" she asked, resting her head on top of his own as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. They watched the scene outside as Harry traipsed around the house to the shed in the back.

"In time…" he replied. "At least he has us… and Sirius and Remus…"

"And Ron…" Molly pointed out.

"Well, of course _Ron_…" Arthur said condescendingly. Ron was in fact Harry's best friend and the reason why they had taken him in. He turned around and saw the gleam in his wife's eyes and knew that there was something more going on then she wasn't telling him. "What are you on about?"

"Oh nothing…" she said in a sing song voice. She gave him one last kiss on the lips and then headed to some other part of the house.

Arthur shook his head in confusion. As much as he loved his wife he would never completely figure her out.

* * *

Ron stood miserably in the middle of the mess inside the dark little shed wishing he and Harry had never drank those stupid BetterBeers. They had been only trying to have a bit of fun, but somehow it ended horribly. Not only had they gotten sick off them, but they also got in trouble and lost his parent's trust and respect. 

His eyes had finally become adjusted to the dim interior and he surveyed his surroundings looking for some ideas about how to go about this daunting task. There weren't any candles or spelled lights for him to see in there. The only thing he had in the way of light was the two small windows on either side of the shed that were so dirty that he couldn't even see outside. He opted to prop the door open with a rock so he could benefit from the bright afternoon sunlight. It also served as an immediate escape route in case he encountered something less than pleasant, which he was bound to do.

He had awful memories of this place from when he was very young. He already had an enormous fear of spiders because of when Fred changed his teddy bear into a spider because Ron accidentally broke his toy broom. And later, during a game of hide and seek with Ginny, he had ducked into the shed looking for a place to hide. Unfortunately, he became tangled in a large spider web that frightened him so much, he ran all the way to the swimming pool screaming and jumped into the cold water trying to get it off. He had been terrified that the spider that had made the web was going to come and eat him. Ron had nightmares for months after that little incident.

The old shed was in a state of disrepair and like the house, could only be held together by magic. There wasn't a lot of storage left in the house and one could only cast so many spells to create wizards space before they began to overlap and cancel each other out. Therefore, anything that didn't get regular use in the house was brought out here until someone figured out what to do with it all.

And it looked as if that job had been left to Ron and Harry. "_Where was Harry, anyway?" _Ron thought to himself. "_What did Dad want to speak to him about?" _

Looking around at the mess, Ron sighed resignedly. Deciding that he should just get on with his task already, he began to pull box after box down from the many shelves that lined the shelves. His plan was to rummage inside each of them to see what could be saved and what should be tossed. Nearly twenty years of junk had accumulated in here and Ron imagined it would take just as long to sort it out all out. His eyes darted back and forth nervously as he worked; searching for the vile little creatures he had begun to loathe.

He reached up to grab a box on the very top most shelf and realized that this task was going to me much dirtier than he originally suspected when a shower of dust and cobwebs fell upon his head and shoulders. "Ew… Ick…" Ron said in disgust, shaking his head to rid himself of the offending dirt. As much as he wanted to run out of here and never look back, he knew he wasn't going to get out of his punishment.

Ron jealously remembered seeing the twins working in the garden as he walked to the shed and wished that they could trade places right now. Fred and George had been irritably grumbling about how they had more important things they could be doing as they pulled weed after weed. Ron was sure their father had piled on ton of chores on top of gardening for their punishment, but he would gladly exchange and do all of their mindless chores if he could get out of cleaning out the shed this afternoon.

Unfortunately, the Weasley siblings knew better than to trade off chores and punishments. It would only extend the length of the sentence or bring additional punishment. Their parents seem to have a knack for choosing the one thing that they hated to do most and bestow it upon them as if it were the only way to seek forgiveness.

Ron was just starting to open a box when he heard his name. "Ron?" Harry called, stepping into the shed.

"Hey…" Ron replied, standing up to greet him. "What did my dad want to talk to you about?"

He noticed Harry stiffen as this question and he quickly said, "Oh, nothing…"

Ron knew that was probably not true, but he let it go. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

Harry unconsciously rubbed his stomach like it was still sore, but said, "Better… you?"

"I'm fine… I really didn't know the BetterBeers would affect you like that, Harry… I'm sorry you got sick…" Ron had been feeling guilty ever since his mother told him how much this hurt Harry's system. He didn't want to be responsible for causing Harry any more pain. "I didn't mean to ruin your birthday…"

"You didn't ruin my birthday. It was the best birthday I've ever had! And it's not your fault we got sick or in trouble… so how are we going to do this?" Harry asked, changing the subject. He looked at all the boxes Ron had pulled down.

Ron looked around and realized that there wasn't much space for them to both move around in here. "Well I guess we can sort things outside since it's hard to see in here. We could make a couple of piles; things I think we should keep and stuff we should toss… Mum left us some brooms, rags, and garbage bins outside the shed door if we need it. We can bring the stuff we're keeping back in when we are done…"

"Sounds like a plan," said Harry, bending over to lift one of the boxes and carry it outside.

Ron couldn't help but check out Harry's small butt as he bent over and admire the way it looked in his jeans. He would love to reach out and give it a squeeze right now, and he found himself staring at Harry's body lustily. Suddenly realizing what he was doing, Ron quickly turned away. He went to the wall beside the door gathered up all of their "good" brooms that were still useable and brought them outside to their keep pile.

Last night's kiss had left him very unraveled. It had been so wonderful… up until Harry got sick, but still… it was a wonderfully sweet first kiss. He was pretty sure now that Harry felt the same way he did about him, but he was nervous that the alcohol might have prevented Harry from remembering that it even happened. He hadn't even mentioned it, not that Ron was surprised. He hadn't either, for that matter. He was planning on making another move on Harry soon, but he didn't want to frighten him if he was caught checking him out.

Together, they slowly cleaned out the shed removing everything inside. Unfortunately, it took a lot longer than Ron had originally expected, and it was back breaking work. Some of the boxes were enormously heavy and neither one of them could use magic to perform a feather weight charm. He hadn't realized it before, but each of the shelves in the shed were spelled to have wizard's space, meaning when they removed one box another automatically appeared in its place. They had thought it was a trick at first, but after they pulled three consecutive boxes off the same shelf, they saw that the shelf was now bare.

They didn't really find anything exciting, like they had hoped. The shed was filled with mostly old boxes covered in years of dust, but there was quite a few other objects lying about in there as well. Broken brooms and rakes missing several teeth were hanging from the walls. Coils of rope and a harness that must have once belonged on horse hung from the ceiling, intricately covered with spider webs. And the planked wood floor of the shed was littered with dried leaves and pine needles from years of the wind blowing in whenever someone opened the door.

They found a nasty infestation of Doxies hidden in one corner of the shed beneath a pile of old bed sheets. They were odd looking little creatures, with black faery like bodies and shiny black wings. They also had a mouthful of razor sharp teeth with which they would gnash at the two boys whenever Harry and Ron came near. Ron had had to go and retrieve some doxycide and pail from his mother in order to take care of them properly. They systematically sprayed each of the nasty little creatures and carefully threw them into the pail, one at a time.

Also among the mess they found one roller skate, a broken push lawn mower, an old fishing net with a large hole in it, several empty tin cans, a rubber chicken, an abandoned bird's nest, an aquarium, a ball that looked like it had chewed on by a dog, two broken owl cages and a sorry looking perch, numerous books, an odd assortment of Muggle tools, a collection of pine cones, and an empty coffee can that said "_Bill's Treasure- DO NOT TOUCH!" _Most of these immediately went into the garbage bins since it was of no use. They also found the twin's stash of fake wands and other joke products they had hoped to keep hidden from their mother.

Ron had reached up to remove one last box from the shed when he felt something scurry across his hand again. He gave another high pitch wail and yelled, "Harry!" This was the fourth time one of those awful creatures had touched him while they were working.

Harry already knew what he was yelling about and went about retrieving the little spider that had offended him and carrying it safely outside. "Honestly Ron, they can't hurt you!" he complained again, once he was back in the shed.

"Yes they can! They have horrible little fang looking things on their mouths," he said with a shudder. "Ick! I don't how you stand touching them!"

"They don't bother me. I guess I'm just used to them. They kept me company in my-" Harry stopped before he said the word _cupboard_. Although Ron knew about his first bedroom at the Dursleys, Harry rarely talked about it and always seemed really embarrassed.

"Well I still don't see how you can just touch them like that… I hate spiders…" said Ron, shuddering violently.

"I know…" Harry said, smiling up at him in amusement.

Looking around the dark shed, they discovered they were almost done cleaning it out. Harry grabbed an old broom and began sweeping the dust and cobwebs off the shelves and then sweeping it all out the door. Ron set about removing that last of the miscellaneous junk that lined the walls.

Behind an old bicycle with a tire missing, Ron found a most unusual sight. "What is this?" he asked, dragging the heavy object out into the open.

Harry stopped his sweeping momentarily to look over at what Ron had found. "Oh my God…" he said softly, his face draining of all color. "I never thought I would see that again."

"What?" asked Ron stupidly. Glancing down at the large object resting against him, he suddenly realized why Harry's face had paled so considerably. He was holding a set of heavy iron bars that once belonged to Number Four, Privet Drive.

Before their second year, Ron had grown increasingly more concerned about his new friend when he hadn't replied to any of his letters. Deciding that something must have been wrong, he and the twins borrowed their father's enchanted Ford Anglia and flew over to Surrey to rescue him. They had been a little more than surprised when they found a set of bars on Harry's window, especially since it was the only room in the house that bore such an unusual feature. They ripped the bars off the house and had stowed them in the boot. They almost didn't make it out of there because Harry's uncle came storming into his room at the last minute, grabbing his nephew's ankle in an attempt to prevent him from leaving.

But they leave they did… and Ron was suddenly overwhelmingly sad that his friend had ever had to go back to that place. What kind of people locked up a child, put bars on their window, and fed him through a cat flap in the door? He had always wondered if there wasn't something more going on in that awful home.

"I always wondered what happened to these bars," said Ron, trying to gauge what was going on Harry's head. Harry merely shrugged and went back to sweeping, but it was clear by the look on his face that his thoughts were distracted now. He looked almost embarrassed as well.

His father or the twins must have stowed the bars in the shed for lack of a better place to put them when they had emptied out the car. Ron wanted to question Harry about the bars a little, but he already knew that they were a result of Harry getting in trouble with his uncle for Dobby's little incident at a dinner party. Apparently they didn't want Harry to have any contact with anyone from the wizarding world. He sighed again tiredly and hauled the bars out of the shed and out of sight.

Once the shed was cleaned out, Ron and Harry sat down among the boxes now strewn across the lawn. Ron couldn't help but notice how quiet Harry was the entire time they had been working, and he had tried several times unsuccessfully to engage him in conversation.

They opened each of the boxes, inventorying what was inside of each. Ron and Harry discovered quite a few boxes that his father had stowed out here containing his father's collection of broken plugs and Muggle appliances. His mother had made him promise long ago to get rid of his collection, but he must have hid it out here instead.

"Why does he collect all this stuff?" Harry finally asked, when he opened another box filled with plugs. "None of it works anymore."

"I don't know. He's always been fascinated by things that ran on ekeltrikity," Ron replied.

"Electricity," Harry corrected him, sounding a bit like Hermione.

"Yeah, what you said…" Ron said with a smile. He really did know how to pronounce the word for the Muggle kind of magic that made things run. He just liked to get Harry going once and a while.

As much as Ron would have liked to chuck his father's odd collection into the garbage bin, he found they didn't have the heart. What his mother didn't know, couldn't hurt his father.

The tension seemed to ease between them somewhat and Harry began talking to him more freely again. Whatever had been bothering him earlier seemed to have gone away. They continued to work beside one another amicably, sitting close to one another, finding small ways to touch each other without it being too noticeable.

Many of the other boxes contained old school robes, each bearing the Gryffindor crest, signifying the legacy of Weasleys all attending Hogwarts under the same house. Some contained odd bits of school memorabilia and others contained old toys they shared growing up.

They threw out a lot of odds and ends that Ron insisted that his family no longer had any use for, but they kept quite a few boxes of things as well. Ron hadn't realized it before, but his mother had kept a box of mementos for each of her children, seven boxes in all. Ron soon located his own box and began rifling through the contents.

He nearly fell over in shock when he found is old teddy bear inside. Ron had loved that bear more than anything as a child, but he stopped carrying it around after Fred turned it into a spider. "Mum kept him…" Ron said with a smile.

"What's his name?" asked Harry.

"Just Teddy," Ron said softly, feeling somewhat embarrassed that he had ever name his bear something so lame and predictable.

Harry scooted up next to him and look down at the sorry looking stuffed an animal in his hands. "He looks like he was well loved," Harry commented.

"How did you know?" Ron asked curiously.

"Well look at him…" Harry said pointing to the brown bar. "Nearly all the stuffing gone is around his middle and the seams are pretty worn from where you hugged him. It looks like you might have even dragged the poor fellow around judging from the ways his arms are all stretched out." He then tugged on the arms of the teddy bear stretching them out wide before he finally pulled back.

"That's amazing Harry. You'd make Hermione proud with that line of deduction," said Ron. They both laughed aloud at that. "Did you have a stuffed animal like this growing up?"

Harry's eyes, which were bright a minute ago, darkened slightly. "No… I never had anything like that…"

"Didn't you have any toys?" Ron asked curiously. "You must have had a favorite…"

"I only got to play with what Dudley had already broken," Harry angrily, turning away slightly.

Ron felt his heart ached painfully for his friend's horrible childhood. The more he learned about Harry, but he more realized how much he had really suffered growing up. Now that he thought about it, when his father had gone to Surrey to gather Harry's things, he had only brought back his trunk. No boxes of mementoes. No cherished toys. Only his school trunk! Everything he owned fit into a trunk!

How could he have ever been jealous of Harry last year? It was obvious to him now that Harry was never paid any attention as a child, so why did Ron hate when every one fawned over him now? Didn't he deserve it? Who was he to be upset when he had grown up in a loving family and Harry didn't? Ron suddenly hated himself all over again for the way he treated Harry last year. He had been so stupidly blind.

Ron decided that he simply couldn't look over his childhood things and reminisce when Harry didn't have anything like that. He quickly closed the box and sealed it again knowing that it would always be here if he ever wanted to look through it again. He then returned it to the shed along with his siblings' boxes for safe keeping.

They finished checking the rest of the boxes and put what they were keeping neatly back inside. The garbage bins had long since begun overflowing with all the junk they had thrown away, so they began to pile the rest of it beside them. Ron knew one of his parents would shrink the pile of garbage when they were done and dispose of it properly.

The sun was setting when they were finally finished. They were both tired and hungry, but they couldn't resist one last look around at the neatly organized shed to see all of their hard work. Ron was impressed at how much extra room they now had in there, and he knew that his parents would be pleased. He had hated the punishment, but he couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment.

Ron turned to Harry, who was standing beside him with his arms crossed over his chest, looking around the dark shed. He had been awfully quiet again since they found Ron's box of old things and he wasn't sure why.

"What's up?" Ron asked, we could finally no longer stand the silence.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Why are you so quiet? You've been like this on and off all day."

"It's nothing…" he replied softly, looking down at the weathered wood planks of the shed's floor.

"It can't be nothing. Are you upset about last night?" Ron whispered. He had been looking for a way to bring it up for a while now.

"No, not about that…" Harry replied quickly.

Ron was glad that Harry wasn't upset about the kiss, but he still wanted to know what was troubling him. "Then what is it?" Ron asked. He tentatively reached out and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"I'm just jealous I guess," Harry said softly turning to him.

"Jealous? Of me? Why?"

"Because I'm standing here staring at all of this Weasley history all day long… and I don't have any of that," he admitted.

Ron didn't think he could feel any worse for Harry. "I'm sorry, mate. I don't know what to say," said Ron, feeling decidedly awkward. He swallowed thickly, trying to rid himself of the achy-ness in the back of his throat.

"You don't have to say anything. It's not your fault."

"No, it's the Dursleys," Ron said darkly.

Harry looked up at him in alarm and said, "Let's go inside. I'm sure its time for dinner." He left Ron's side and headed back towards the Burrow in a hurry.

What was it about the mere mention of his relatives that sent Harry running away from him? One of these days Ron was going to have to finally sit him down and get some answers once and for all. He hated not knowing what was going on with Harry and he had too many nagging suspicions just to let it all go.

Harry was right about it being time for dinner. His mother was just about to call them inside when they started up the steps to the Burrow. They quickly washed up and joined the others at the table. It was clear by the expressions on everyone's faces that no one had forgotten what happened last night and the conversation was strained at best. Ron wasn't too worried about it, however. Things would probably be back to normal by tomorrow. His parents were quick to forgive, but not forget.

Ron couldn't help but notice that Harry didn't eat very much and wondered if his stomach was still troubling him.

Their bodies were noticeably tired and sore from working hard all day, and they were still fighting the exhaustion they felt from being up most of last night getting sick from the BetterBeers. After dinner they only had enough energy to drag their bodies up to bed. Climbing the numerous stairs seemed to require as much effort as it had the night before in their drunken state. Ron tiredly noticed that the vase and picture frames had been repaired and were once again hanging upon the walls.

Upon entering Ron's bedroom, Harry dragged his feet over to his bed and flopped down tiredly, not caring that his dirty clothes were touching the clean sheets on his bed or that he still had his glasses on.

"Hey! Aren't you going to shower or change into your pajamas mate?" Ron asked playfully. He tossed a dirty sock at him that he had found on the floor and watched as it bounced off Harry's head harmlessly.

"Yeah, yeah, in a minute… I'm just resting my eyes…" Harry said sleepily. He gave a big yawn and then closed his eyes wearily.

"Just resting? Right… looks like you're already sleeping…" Ron said in patronizing tone.

Seeing that Harry wasn't going to get up any time soon, Ron went over and took of his shoes like he had the night before. Harry didn't resist and seemed to almost enjoy the attention. He was going to then remove Harry's glasses for him as well, but his friend turned over tiredly so that his back was facing him before he got the chance.

Ron was about to make some sort of scathing remark about being lazy to him when he glanced down at Harry's back. The t-shirt he was wearing had somehow ridden up on him when he turned over, revealing the lower half of his back.

At first glance Ron only noticed that Harry was even more painfully thin than he had first imagined. The vertebrae stood out noticeably on his back, even after all the home cooked meals his mother had given him trying to fatten him up. They Dursleys really had starved his poor Harry. No wonder he was so small.

Quickly glancing at Harry's face, Ron was sure that he had either fallen asleep or was just about to. He then kneeled down beside the bed to get a better look at his back.

Upon closer examination, Ron noticed that Harry's pale skin was marred with some sort of bizarre design, but he couldn't make out what it was. Curious as ever, he gently raised the hem of Harry's shirt so that he could get a better look. Ron gasped aloud as he took in the faint criss-crossing scars on Harry's back. It looked as if he had been violently whipped.

Ron knew now without a doubt that Harry had been abused. With that realization came an eerie feeling that cascaded down his back, like ice water had flowed from his head down his spine. Ron had never been so horrified by what he saw.

This must be the reason Harry freaked out that day when the twins tried to take off his shirt so they could throw him into the pond. This must be the reason Harry wouldn't change in front of him. This must be what he had been hiding… all along…

"_Why hadn't Madam Pomfrey healed the welts along with his other injuries from the accident?"_ Ron thought sadly, as he reached out to trace one of the scars.

Harry must have still been in a semi-conscious state because he suddenly jerked away from the Ron's touch. He twisted around wildly on the bed when he realized what Ron had been doing.

"Ron, what are you-" Harry began, but then he saw the horrified look in Ron's eyes. He scrambled off the side of the bed and stood up quickly, straightening his shirt. "It's n-not what you think!" Harry tried to explain.

"I think it's exactly what I think!" Ron replied. "Who hurt you!"

Harry shook his head back and forth desperately. "No one, Ron. L-leave it alone…"

"I won't! Not until you tell me who hurt you!" Ron shouted. "It was your uncle, wasn't it?"

"This isn't happening…" he said. Harry's chest was heaving up and down now and Ron was sure that he was close to having a panic attack.

"What?"

"I can't do this!" Harry replied as he dashed towards the bedroom door.

"Oh no you don't!" said Ron, using his long legs to cross the room in three strides. He blocked to door with body and grabbed Harry by the arms. "You are not going to run away from me Harry!"

"Ron, leave me a-alone…" he moaned pitifully.

"Not until you tell what is going on!" Ron said in a demanding tone, gripping Harry's arms even more tightly.

"Why do you want to know so bad? Huh? Why does it even matter?" Harry tore himself away from Ron's grasp, and took a few steps back wrapping his arms over his chest protectively.

"Because you matter to me!" Ron shouted, his voice choked with emotion.

Harry began shaking his head back and forth as his arms tightened around his torso. His eyes darted around the room, looking for some kind of escape. "You don't mean that. You're just like everyone else, pushing me to admit things I don't want to say."

"It's true Harry. I care about you!" Ron wanted to yell that he loved him as well, but now didn't seem like the time. "Just tell me what's wrong!"

"NO!"

"Why can't you just say it? Why can't you admit you were abused?" he asked exasperatedly, taking a step forward. Ron noticed that Harry had winced when he had used the word _abused_. "I knew something was wrong… I just never realized that it was this bad. Harry, just tell me what happened that you have those marks on your back…"

Harry was shaking his head again slightly, looking at him in disbelief. "Ron, no… st-stop…"

"I'm not going to think any less of you, Harry. You are my best friend… more than that. I want to know what happened so that I can help you!" If Harry would just understand how much he cared, Ron knew that they would be okay.

"No!"

Ron grunted in frustration. "I'm not letting you leave this room until you tell me!"

"Why are you do-ing this?" Harry yelled back.

"Because I care about you and I don't want you to think that you have to hide things from me!"

They were both so absorbed in their heated conversation that neither one of them stopped to consider how loud their voices had gotten. Ron noticed something flash in Harry's eyes, just as something inside of him seemed to snap.

"W-what do you want to know? Huh?" Harry shouted angrily as he paced back and forth in front of Ron, who still guarded the door. "You want to know how horrible my child-h-hood was. That I didn't just live in the cupboard under the stairs, but that I was l-locked in there for the better p-part of my life! Do you really want to know how many d-days I went without f-food? Or that unlike you, I've never had a toy of my own. Do you want to know how often I was b-beaten?" Harry's stutter increased significantly the more he became upset. It was becoming increasingly more difficult for him to speak.

"Harry…" Ron tried to say. He didn't know if he really wanted to hear anymore. His heart was breaking for the boy he loved and he felt as if he might fly into pieces. All he had wanted to do was to make Harry understand that everything was going to be okay. That he was going to take care of him. He didn't mean for him to become so upset. He had no idea that it was that bad.

"NO! You w-want me to say it then you're going to listen! Do you want all the juicy details? Every punch, every kick, every cut, scrape and bruise. Do you want to know that I was sometimes beaten every d-day? Or how often I cried myself asleep praying that someone would notice when I was a little kid? That someone would take me a-aw-ay from them!"

By now Harry's eyes were shining with unshed tears. It appeared as if it was taking him every ounce of control not to lose it right now.

Harry took a deep breath and continued, his voice high and choked with emotion. "D-do you want to know that I was whipped with a belt the night I walked home from work in a rainstorm and got the floor wet? Do you know what it's like to feel g-guilty because you're glad that it's your aunt that is being hit that night instead of you? Just because you don't know if you could survive another r-round!"

Harry was nearly screaming at him at the top of his lungs now. Ron couldn't ever remember Harry being so angry before. Not even when they were fighting with Malfoy. "I didn't know…" Ron whispered, his eyes beginning to prickle with emotion.

"No one did, Ron! No one!" Harry shouted. "Is that what you w-wanted to know? That I was a pathetic little kid that let his uncle beat him! Huh? That I'm just a f-freak!"

By now Ron was crying openly, but he didn't make a move to wipe away any of the tears. He tried to say something to calm Harry down, but all the came out was a small squeak. It felt like he had a lump the size of a golf ball in the back of his throat.

Upon seeing Ron so upset, Harry's chin began to tremble. "Are you happy now?" he asked as his own tears finally coursed down his cheeks.

"No…" Ron said miserably.

"I didn't w-want you to know… I didn't want anyone to know…and you made me s-say it!"

"I'm sorry Harry… I really am… for everything… I just wanted to understand," he replied, knowing that it wasn't nearly enough. Ron tried to reach out to Harry, but he stepped away and turned his back to him as he wiped away his traitorous tears.

"Yeah, well now you do… I just w-want to be left alone…" Harry walked quickly over to the door and yanked it open.

They were both surprised to find Ron's mum and dad standing on the other side. His mother had her arm poised like she was about to knock, but his father had his wand raised at the ready. Their faces were etched with worry and it was clear they had just heard every word of their conversation. Harry took one look at them and bolted past, running down the stairs as quickly as possible to get away.

Ron made a move to go after, but his father put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Ron, I was just about to cast a silencing charm when Harry opened the door… you should know that the twins and Ginny heard your argument too…" his dad said softly.

Ron glanced down the stairway and noticed Ginny and the twins staring up at him from the landing. Harry would have definitely seen them on his way down. This situation couldn't get any worse.

"Bloody hell!" Ron cursed loudly, not caring that he was in the presence of his parents. Neither one of them scolded him for his language. He began running down the stairs past his siblings, heedless of his father calling his name. He vaguely heard his mother say to him, "Let him go to Harry…" as he raced his way down.

Harry was no where to be found on the lower level of the Burrow so Ron quickly ran down the steps and outdoors. His heart was pounding fiercely and he had in awful feeling in his gut. He couldn't possibly feel any worse about what had happened. Without realizing it, his feet carried him over to the old shed that he and Harry had tirelessly cleaned out today. He didn't know how he knew where to go, he just did.

The shed door was still banging on its frame as he approached, signaling that Harry had indeed gone inside. Ron yanked the door open and gently closed it behind him. "Harry?" he called out into the darkness. He heard a soft sob from somewhere inside.

"Leave me a-alone, Ron…" Harry muttered quietly, his voice high and squeaky still.

Ron turned his head towards the direction his voice had gone and could just make out Harry's slight form in the moon light that streamed through the now cleaned windows. He was hunched up in the corner of the shed, his arms wrapped tightly around his knees. His head was resting on the wall behind him. And he seemed to be trembling. "I'm not going to do that…"

Harry took a deep breath, trying to gain to composure, and wiped away his tears in frustration. As his eyes adjusted to the rather dim light, he began to see things more clearly.

"Why did you come out here?" Ron asked curiously. He couldn't think of any good reason to ever come into this shed willingly. Even after all of their efforts, the place still creeped him out immensely. Who knew what kind of unseen creature was lying in wait, hoping to prey on them.

"It's familiar to me somehow," Harry said softly. "I felt safe out here..." Ron didn't understand what that could mean; especially since today was the first time Harry had ever been in there. How could this run down shed feel safe to him? Maybe he was referring to something else.

Ron took a few cautious steps forward and kneeled down in front of him. "I'm so sorry, Harry…" he whispered. He had some many things to apologize for: not noticing soon enough that there was something wrong, letting his emotions get out of control, pushing Harry to tell him and thereby allowing his family to hear as well, and simply not being a good enough friend.

"Yeah, I know…" Harry replied softly, seeming to understand. All the anger that had been coursing through Harry only moments before in the Burrow seemed to have dissipated greatly. His voice sounded tired now instead of angry, and Ron somehow knew that he had finally vented all of his anger out. All that was left now was absolute sadness, so much so that it permeated the air around them.

"I wish I could have known sooner… I would have tried to help you…" Ron tried to explain again.

"I know…" said Harry. "I didn't want to anyone to know and I sometimes wish that it was all still a secret. That stupid car wreck ruined everything."

"You mean to tell me that you would have kept everything from us if it weren't for the accident?" Ron asked in disbelief. Harry nodded sadly. "But why?"

"I don't know… there's lot of reasons, I guess… but mostly I didn't want you to think I was weak and pathetic…" Harry revealed.

Ron was little more than shocked by that statement. "I would never think that! You're one of the strongest people I know, Harry."

Harry could only shrugged in response. "Everything is so complicated now…"

"What do you mean? Because of the trial?"

"Yeah."

Ron thought back to what he over heard a few nights ago. "My parents and Sirius want you to testify against your uncle for abusing you don't they?"

"Yeah."

"Well, are you going to go through it?"

"I don't know yet…" he replied sadly. The tone of his voice indicated that he didn't feel like discussing it any further.

They sat in silence for a few moments and Ron searched for something to say. He still had so many unanswered questions. Suddenly one question came to the forefront of his mind; one that had been bothering since his discovery up in his room. "Does your back still hurt?"

Harry shifted his position against the shed wall as if considering the question. "Not really. Sometimes. It almost feels like a burn," he explained.

"Why wasn't healed after the accident?"

"The welts were already a week old when I was brought to Hogwarts. I guess injuries can only be healed when they are fresh. Madame Pomfrey gave me a potion to reduce scarring and prevent infection, but she said that they had to heal on their own."

"Oh…" Ron said lamely, feeling bad that his small friend would have yet another horrible scar on his body. Harry had enough to worry about without having to think about what others may think of the blemishes on his beautiful skin. "Are you mad at me still?" he wondered aloud.

Harry sighed and looked away from him. "Kind of… I really didn't want you to know…"

"Why not? Didn't you think I would care?"

"I knew you would, but I just didn't want you to stop…"

Ron stared at him stupidly for a few seconds and finally said, "What?"

"I know… it sounds stupid. I thought that if there was even a remote possibility that… you know… or maybe you don't… it's just that… ugh! I don't even know how to say this!"

Ron suddenly understood what Harry was so poorly trying to explain.

"Maybe I can…" Ron said softly. He leaned over tentatively and brushed his nose against Harry's. When he was sure that the smaller boy wasn't going to pull away, he placed a chaste kiss upon his lips. Harry whimpered in relief and kissed him back eagerly. They began kissing each other with such tenderness and care that it was almost painful.

A little more confident now that he knew he wasn't going to be rejected, Ron opened his lips and brushed his tongue against Harry's lips seeking entrance. Although neither one of them had any practice at what to do, they instinctually seemed to know what to do. Ron brushed his tongue against Harry's experimentally, savoring his taste.

After several gentle minutes, they were soon snogging each other passionately, rising to their knees and pulling each other close. This was what they had wanted for so long. There were no longer any hidden fears, no more uncertainty, and no drunken illness to prevent each other from remembering. This was for real.

Ron placed one hand on Harry's hip and gently grabbed Harry's neck with his hand, raking it through his messy black hair as he increased the pace of their kisses. Harry moaned affectionately into his mouth and responded in kind by wrapping his arms around Ron's waist.

"Oh gods, I've wanted this for so long, Harry…" Ron breathed heavily as he pulled away. He had felt himself becoming more and more turned on in his nether regions and he didn't want to scare Harry away by moving to fast. "You have no idea…"

"Me too…" Harry whispered back, also a little out of breath.

"Really?"

"Yeah…"

Ron smiled deeply and leaned forward to capture Harry's lips again. Nothing would ever be the same again… and Ron didn't mind one bit.

A/N: **Major Plug! **If you didn't know already, I've started a C2 archive called "_More than Friends" _for all of you H/R shippers out there. Check out my bio page for the link. These are mostly novel length, high quality stories that I have come to love, but there are some one shots as well. (I just wish that I could include the fics that have a more mature rating- I can't even include my own story!). There are a lot of stories by the same author, but that's only because they are my favorites. If you are interested in being a staff member or have a fic to recommend leave me a review with your e-mail address. Thanks!

A/N2: Did any of you notice my reference to one of my other fics, _Tell Me a Story_? I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think of it.

**Many thanks to all of my readers and reviewers!**


	15. Under Pressure

A/N: So sorry about the long delay! My beta and I have been extremely busy lately. I hope you all enjoy this chapter despite its lateness.

**Chapter 15- Under Pressure **

Ron was sitting cross-legged upon his bed across from Harry, with his elbows on his knees and his chin propped up in his hands. He blankly stared at the animated chess pieces before him as his mind replayed the events that had occurred last night over and over in his head. No matter what he tried, he simply couldn't stop thinking about what had happened.

Their argument…learning the horrors of Harry's childhood…his family learning everything as well…. knowing that his best mate felt the same way about him… holding Harry… kissing Harry!

It was all just too unbelievable to be true. Especially since this was his best mate he was thinking about, his _male_ best mate. And that left Ron feeling rather unsettled. Over and over these thoughts whirled through his head, consuming him completely.

It was the first moment alone that he and Harry had had with each other since last night, and all Ron wanted to do right now was to snog Harry senseless. Unfortunately, he didn't have a clue as to how to go about it all. There was a lot he still didn't understand when it came to all of this. Was he allowed to kiss Harry any time he wanted to now? Were they in a relationship? What should they call each other… _boyfriends_? Were they moving too fast?

"_No, not fast enough,"_ Ron thought quickly.

It had seemed so easy last night once Ron finally got up enough nerve to kiss Harry again, and it had been even more amazing than he had thought it would be. Even in his fantasies, nothing he had imagined compared to how special that second kiss was. The first kiss had been unbelievable, yes, but the second… the second told Ron once and for all that Harry felt the same way about him.

After a series of long delicious kisses, they had spent a few quiet moments snuggling beside each other against the wall of the shed. Neither one of them really wanted to move, Harry especially, but in the end they really had no choice. If they had waited any longer, Ron's parents would have come looking for them. Wordlessly, Ron had grabbed Harry's hand and led him back home to face the aftermath of their argument that night.

They broke apart just as they reached the steps of the Burrow, and were quickly greeted at the door by his parents, who wanted to speak with Harry privately. At first Harry had looked down rather dejectedly. But then he bravely raised his head and asked in a small voice, "_Can Ron s-stay?"_

That simple request had meant more to Ron in that moment than anything else in the world. Harry needed him, and Ron would do everything in his power to give Harry whatever he needed. And so Ron stayed by his side during the entire conversation with his parents, silently lending his love his support.

Ron had known that he could rely on his parents to handle the situation delicately when they returned, and they went well beyond his expectations of them. They didn't reprimand Harry for not telling anyone about his situation at Privet Drive sooner, nor did they pressure him into talking about anything else. They merely acknowledged what they had overheard Harry say upstairs, and reassured him that they would do everything in their power to keep him safe from now on. Ron's father made sure that Harry knew that he always could come to them if he needed something. He stressed that Harry could tell them anything, even if it was difficult, and that he would never be judged.

His mother had tried to encourage Harry to testify against his uncle in the trial, but knew enough to drop it when she saw that Harry wasn't going to be very forthcoming about his intentions yet. At least he said that he would consider it.

Ron knew from the conversation that Harry still resented that the god awful truth about his life with Dursleys was out in the open now. He had had to force it out of his friend, but Ron was secretly glad that he had. Not only did he finally learn the truth about what Harry had kept hidden from them for so long, but it allowed Harry to open up to him emotionally. Things could only get better from here, right?

Harry suddenly sighed loudly, jerking Ron from his distracted thoughts. He looked up quickly and saw the bored expression on Harry's face.

"You're quiet today," he said flatly.

"Yeah, sorry," Ron replied, looking back down at the board.

"_Bloody odd, I say,"_ said a small black rook, from the corner in which he still stood. Ron's chess pieces had always been a little more than animated. He was sure the twins had tampered with his set at some point. And that piece in particular had a penchant for making rude comments at the oddest moments. "_That fellow usually regales us with his endless chatter."_

Harry snorted in laughter at the comment, but didn't say anything else while he waited for Ron to make his next move. Instead he idly picked at a loose thread on Ron's bright orange Chudley Cannon blanket.

Ron was trying desperately to play as he normally would, but his heart just wasn't into it. Instead, his heart was preoccupied worrying about other things. Like when to make another move on Harry.

It was bad enough that his brain kept replaying what had happened last night over and over in a repetitive loop. But he was also dealing with some almost irrepressible urges that seemed to happen to young hormonal boys when they were in the presence of their crush. His brain and his heart seemed to be at odds with each other, alternating between feeling utter pity for his small friend for all he had gone through and wanting to grope him in the next instant. Just being in Harry's presence after snogging him so passionately last night was enough to cause Ron to feel a little hot and bothered.

He knew it would be weird if he just stared at Harry the way he wanted to, so instead he stared at the black and white board frantically trying to concentrate. The last thing he needed was to freak Harry out with his odd behavior. Because of his lack of concentration it appeared that he was actually on the verge of losing to Harry, though his mate probably didn't even realize it.

Ron was torn from his thoughts once more when he heard Harry speak again after so many moments of silence.

"So are you going to make a move or what?" asked Harry, looking at Ron now with an amused expression on his face.

"_Yeah!"_ shouted one of his knights, his tiny voice shouting so that he could be heard. "_Get a move on it already!"_

Ron couldn't have been more startled. Could Harry mean what he thought he meant? This was all so new to him. "Oh… well alright then…" he said softly as he leaned over the board and gave Harry a kiss on the lips.

"_Hey! Stop that!"_ some of the chess pieces indignantly yelled up at them_. "My word!"_

Harry pulled away after a moment with a nervous laugh. "That wasn't the move I was implying… but I guess that works too…" he said softly.

Ron suddenly realized his mistake and his face reddened. "Oh, sorry…" he said dumbly. He looked back down at the board and quickly moved the knight who had yelled at him to a new position. It wasn't a chess move he would have normally made under any other circumstances. Without realizing it he had inadvertently placed his knight in the path of Harry's queen. But alas, it couldn't be helped. Ron was just too flustered by Harry at the moment to concentrate on chess strategy. That was certainly a first.

"It's alright; I liked that move too…" Harry said shyly. He then boldly leaned over the board and kissed Ron firmly on the mouth.

Ron couldn't help but smile as Harry pressed his lips to his own. He simply couldn't get enough of this amazing thing called kissing. He honestly felt like he could spend all day doing this and never tire of it, which was what he was now intending to do.

They quickly broke apart, however, when they heard a knock on the door. Harry had pushed him away and was now hopelessly attempting to look like nothing had happened. He looked quite flustered, and Ron imagined that he must look the same. Didn't whoever was on the other side of the door realize what they were disturbing? Well, of course not, but that didn't make the red head any less irritated.

"What?" he called angrily. He didn't want to answer the knock, but if he didn't one of his siblings was libel to come barging in there anyway.

The door slowly opened to reveal Fred, George, and Ginny standing on the other side, looking in on them warily. "Can we talk to Harry for a moment?" Ginny asked softly.

Ron quickly looked over at his friend who was now sitting up stiffly. He watched as Harry shrugged his shoulders and nodded warily. Ron could detect a faint blush on Harry's cheeks and wondered if he was feeling embarrassed about almost being caught.

"Fine, but make it quick…" Ron said crossly, turning his attention back towards the others. He definitely wanted to get back to kissing Harry again.

The twins and Ginny made their way towards Harry's bed and sat down across from them, determination etched into each of their faces. Their lips were pursed tightly and their eyes quite glassy. It was almost scary to see them looking this serious. Ginny he could understand, but Fred and George were never serious.

Ron watched as Harry shifted uncomfortably beside him. He had somehow known that Ginny and the twins would want to talk to Harry about what they had overheard. They had successfully avoided his siblings last night and most of the morning. And although they hadn't said much to each other at breakfast and lunch, the tension in the air had been unmistakable. Harry and Ron had retreated to his room in the hopes of avoiding all of this, but it seemed inevitable that this conversation would finally take place.

When no one said anything for several moments, Ron irritably said. "Well, don't just sit there. Say something..."

By the expression on Harry's face as Fred and George tried to begin, Ron could tell that this was not going to go down well.

Not at all.

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

Molly stood at the kitchen sink washing up the numerous cups, plates, and silverware left over from lunch, humming to herself softly. She found that humming a tune helped put her mind at ease, and after such a difficult night with Harry she needed to feel some sense of calm. Everyone in the house had been very tense today and she knew that it was only a matter of time before the peace that had settled upon them this morning broke once more.

Doing the dishes proved to be a much needed diversion. After many years of experience, she could do this menial task without even having to think about it. She was quite skilled in household charms and could even spell the plates to wash and dry themselves, but it was a job that required some supervision so that the plates didn't bash into one another as they levitated from side of the sink to the other.

Staring blankly at the scenery outside, Molly grabbed another dish that had been freshly washed and dried. She quickly wiped it with an old dish towel to ensure that not a drop of water was left behind and then set it on the shelf beside her. There was nothing she disliked more than water spots on her clean dishes.

Still humming some tune that Molly had long forgotten the words to, she found her thoughts drifting from one subject matter to another. She idly thought about owling Charlie to make sure he had made it back to Romania safely. They had not heard from him since he left and she wanted to make sure that her second eldest son had not come to harm. Although he was an adult now and perfectly capable of handling himself should he encounter a dangerous situation, she worried about him endlessly.

She thought a lot about Bill as well, but at least she could take some comfort in knowing that he would be coming home soon to work for Gringott's in London and to help the Order of the Phoenix. Percy also seemed to be her mind a lot lately, but she tried not to dwell too much on her estranged son as it was still just too painful. Percy and the family had not parted on good terms when he left that angry evening, and she could only hope that there might be some sort of reconciliation between them some day.

Molly reached down once more to grab another plate, and stopped humming when her hands grasped nothing but air. Looking down she found that all the dishes had been put away already. She neatly dried her hands on the towel and then used a drying spell on the sink and counters. Having nothing else to do at the moment she decided to fetch a piece of parchment to begin her letter to Charlie.

She hadn't even made to the desk drawer where the quills and parchment were kept, when she heard a pair of feet come tearing down the stairs. Harry appeared with in moments at the foot of the stairs. His face was stormy with emotion.

"Everything alright, dear?" she asked worriedly. Ever since Harry and Ron's argument last night he had been much quieter and very withdrawn around the family. She knew he had been very embarrassed when he discovered that the entire family had overheard their loud conversation and learned about his past.

"Fine. I'm going for a walk," Harry said curtly.

At first she had been surprised by his tone because Harry had never spoken to her in such a way before. However, she soon realized that his rudeness was because he was feeling rather troubled at the moment, and she decided to let it go.

"Alright…" she called after him as the kitchen door closed behind him. "Be back for dinner!"

Molly and Arthur had waited for Ron to return with Harry last night and confronted him about what they heard. Of course they knew that he had been abused because the hospital had disclosed that information when they rescued him, but to hear him speak about so candidly about it had been heart wrenching. Their other children had understood their need for privacy and had thankfully stayed in their rooms for the rest of the night, despite their obvious curiosity.

Fortunately, Harry had been in a much better mood when he returned to the house than when he left last night. Whatever her youngest son had said to him out there must have mended whatever trouble there had been in their friendship to cause such an argument. The poor boy had looked terrified when she and Arthur had asked to speak to him and had even asked Ron to stay during their difficult conversation.

Sadly, Harry refused to say much more about what happened to him at the Dursleys. He did, however, agree that testifying against his uncle _might_ be a good idea, when she suggested once more. That was progress in of itself.

At least Sirius would be here soon. Maybe he could talk some sense into Harry and make him see how important testifying really was.

She watched out the kitchen window as Harry stalked across the lawn in the direction of the river and wondered idly what had set him off this morning. Her fixed gaze only shifted when she heard another pair of feet clomping heavily down the stairs.

"Where did he go?" Ron asked, slightly out of breath, when he appeared at the bottom.

"Hmm…." she said softly, lost in her own thoughts.

"Where did Harry go?" he asked impatiently.

"Out for a walk," she replied. When she saw that Ron was already moving to go after him she raised her hand to indicate he should stop. "No Ron, leave him be for now. He seems to need some time alone to think on his own…he's been through a lot…"

Ron looked at her indignantly for a moment, but his expression softened when he realized what she said was true.

"I suppose," Ron sighed heavily, still looking reluctant to follow his mother's advice. He sank down in one of the kitchen chairs and crossed his arms over his chest. By the expression on his face she knew that her son wanted to her ask him what was wrong.

"What happened just now?" she asked, pulling up a chair beside him.

Ron scowled in annoyance. "Ginny and the twins are such idiots… We were trying to…" Ron seemed to catch himself in mid sentence. "Trying to play a game of chess when all three of them came barging into my room asking him all these questions… I could tell Harry didn't feel up to talking about anything, but they wouldn't leave him alone. Kept asking him why he never told them what was happening to him… that they would have helped him… Ginny began crying and blubbering all over the place, and Fred and George were giving him these stupid looks… "

"I'm sure they meant well."

"But they upset him, Mum! Can't they see that he doesn't want to talk about it!" Ron said anxiously.

Molly couldn't help but smirk at that comment. Ron had pushed Harry to the breaking point last night trying to be "helpful," but couldn't see that his siblings were doing he same. "I imagine that they are feeling a lot like you were last night… maybe you're still feeling that way…"

"They couldn't possibly know what I'm feeling…" Ron replied irritably.

"Maybe not, but I do…" Molly said softly. "You care for Harry a great deal…"

Ron's blue eyes shot up and peered directly into hers, his mouth open wide, searching her face for understanding. "Well yeah, he's my friend…" he said softly.

Molly gave him a pointed look and said, "Yes, but you _care_ for him…"

"What are you talking about?" he finally mumbled, looking slightly nervous now. He darted his eyes away from hers and seemed to be breathing a little more quickly now as if he were anticipating some sort of confrontation.

"You know what I mean…" she said softly. She reached out and took his hand across the table.

Ron looked at her in astonishment. "You mean… you mean you know… about Harry and me… that I like him more than just a friend…"

Molly nodded and said, "I think I knew before either of you…"

"How did you know?" he asked exasperatedly. "It took me a while to figure it out!"

"A mother just knows…"

"And you're okay with it?" Ron asked, gripping her hand tightly.

Molly smiled at him lovingly. "Of course I am. I love both of you dearly. I'll be first to admit that life will be difficult for you if you do love each other, but I would never stand in your way or ever find any shame in your relationship." That was the truth too. She hated that life for her son would be more difficult because of his sexuality, but she certainly didn't want him to be something he was not. She could never deny any of her children true happiness.

"Mum… you don't know what this means to me…" Ron said, his eyes shining slightly with emotion.

"I think I do…"

"Does dad know?"

"No, I don't think so. I'm not going to tell him either. Not unless you want me to," she added.

"I don't want anyone to know. Not yet… is that okay?" he asked worriedly.

"Of course, Ronnie," she said.

"Thanks mum," said Ron. He leaned over and gave her a great big hug.

"Mmhmm…" she hummed, hugging her youngest son back tightly and patting on the back. "Why don't you go back upstairs for a bit? I'm expecting Sirius shortly and I'd like to write to Charlie before he comes."

"Sirius is coming here? I didn't know that."

"Yes. I didn't say anything earlier because I didn't want to alarm Harry," she replied. "There are some things I need to discuss with his godfather."

"Like what?" Ron asked nosily.

"You never mind…" she scolded.

"Oh, fine… Thanks again Mum…" Ron said softly to his mother, as he made his way back upstairs.

Molly smiled inwardly and felt proud of herself for broaching such a sensitive subject with her son so successfully. That went better than she could have ever planned.

She was just about to grab that piece of parchment yet again when a series of green flames in fireplace flared up. Turning around, she found Sirius stepping over the hearth into her kitchen.

"Hello, Molly. Am I on _time_?" Sirius asked playfully, as he checked his watch.

Glancing at the wall clock she saw that he was, in fact, exactly on time. She had asked him to come at 2 o'clock sharp, and 2 o'clock it was. Where did the time go?

"Yes, you're right on schedule," she replied, with a forced smile.

"What is this about?" he asked quickly. "Your owl this morning sounded urgent."

Molly gathered her wits about her and said, "Well, have a seat and I'll explain."

Sirius nodded and they sat across from one another at the kitchen table. It had been two days since she had seen Sirius last, and a lot had happened since then.

She briefly explained how Ron and Harry had gotten drunk on ButterBeers that the twins had created and that they had each become sick off them the night before last. Molly made it a point to explain how each of the children had been punished for their actions and was relieved that Sirius seemed to agree with her and Arthur's decisions.

She also revealed Harry and Ron's explosive conversation yesterday and what had happened as a result. A part of her felt like she was invading Harry privacy for explaining what else they had learned about his past, but it was information that Sirius certainly had a right to know. And Harry wouldn't likely bring up the conversation himself.

Amazingly, Sirius sat there the entire time and never said a single word in response. He just listened intently to what she had to say, and nodded his head occasionally to indicate that he understood or that he agreed with her.

"Well, you're his godfather, and I thought you'd want to know," she finished.

"You're right, I did. Thank you for handling everything the way you did. I owe you and Arthur a debt of gratitude for all that you've done for Harry. If my situation were different…" he began.

"I know, I know…" Molly said quickly.

Sirius's "situation" was the very reason why they currently had custody of Harry, and the last thing she wanted was Sirius questioning the issue of guardianship again. Not when it was still pending. She knew in her heart that Harry belonged with her family, not cooped up in some dark mansion with a half crazed godfather. Their opposing views had led to many arguments in the last couple of weeks. For the first time in a long time, she and Sirius managed to have a civilized conversation and she didn't want to spoil that with another pointless argument. Harry needed them to be on speaking terms.

"I must admit that I'm surprised that Harry took a drink," said Sirius thoughtfully.

"I was surprised as well. I thought for sure that the mere thought of drinking alcohol would have turned him off because of his uncle," she replied.

"Me too… but you'd be surprised what boys will do to have a bit of fun," he replied, with a chuckle. She could tell from the pensive look on his face that he was reminiscing about the things he did at Harry's age.

Molly couldn't find the situation as funny as Sirius was. "Yes, but that doesn't excuse their actions," she said firmly. "And I must apologize for the twins… their behavior and the choices they have made are simply appalling… Arthur and I have tried-"

"It's alright Molly. Boys will be boys, right? I'm quite impressed with them actually," Sirius said with a smile. "Only they would figure out how to turn ButterBeers into an alcoholic beverage. I must ask them how they did it."

"You would be impressed," she said under her breath, beginning to feel rather annoyed with him. Couldn't Sirius take anything seriously?

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing…" she replied in a sing song voice.

"Well, thanks for keeping me informed. I'd like to speak with Harry now. Where is he, anyway?" Sirius asked. "I thought he would have been here when I came."

"Well, I would have had him here to talk to you about all of this, but he's been rather tense these last two days about it all. I think he's embarrassed about it all more than anything," Molly retorted. "He went outside a little while ago to get away from the others.

"Oh. Any idea where he went?" Sirius asked.

"Out for a walk, I think," Molly replied, remembering that was where Harry was going to go after lunch. "Down by the river, perhaps …"

"I think I'm going to go find him and let him know about the developments in his uncle's trial and talk to him about this drinking thing…"

"Developments in the trial?" Molly asked curiously. Sirius hadn't mentioned anything about it to her. If there was something concerning Harry and the trial she felt that she should know about it.

Sirius nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah… the Order finally has a plan to make it all work if Harry will agree to it. I guess it's not likely though…" His face was sad with the knowledge that his godson didn't want to testify and have to face his relatives again.

"I think he might," she said.

Sirius looked at her in surprise as he crossed his arms over his chest. "What makes you say that? The last time we spoke he was dead set against it," said Sirius.

"Well, when we spoke to him last night he said that testifying _might_ be a good idea," she said. "I think Ron has been trying to get him to do it."

"That's cheering news."

She nodded. "I thought so too. Are you going to fill me in on this plan as well?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Well, of course. You and Arthur will be fully briefed at our next meeting… that is if Harry agrees." Sirius stood up and made his way to the kitchen door.

"Well, good luck," she offered as she watched him go.

Sirius merely nodded and set off at a casual pace to go find his godson, leaving Molly to wonder what new developments had occurred that she and Arthur didn't yet know about.

* * *

Harry had been sitting beside the river now for a good hour, and he still didn't feel up to returning to the Burrow any time soon. The thought of facing all those red heads with those sad pitiful looks on their faces about what had happened to him was enough to make him sick. 

He didn't want their pity. He just wanted to be left alone.

The small river trickled past him, its surface sparkling in the sunlight. The woods surrounding the river towered over him and he felt alone in his own little world, listening to the sounds of all the unseen creatures lurking just out of view. The scenery around him was simply breathtaking, but he could find no comfort in it. He was just too upset.

He was sitting heavily on a fallen log searching for something he could throw. He had angrily thrown rocks at the river when he had first found this place, but he had soon run out rocks within reaching distance of where he was perched. He felt too lazy to go searching for more. He could find anymore so he looked around for something else he could do.

Finding a small piece of bark on ground, he snatched it up and systematically began shredding it unto thin pieces. He needed to do something, anything, to preoccupy his mind.

He didn't want to think about the conversation he had just had with Ron's siblings. He didn't want to contemplate his feelings for Ron and what it would all mean when they went back to Hogwarts. And he certainly didn't want to think about why his scar had just suddenly started prickling again.

Part of him wondered if it was safe for him to be so far away from the safety of the Burrow, and another part of him simply didn't care.

All he had thought about this summer before the accident was Voldemort's return and how he had gotten Cedric killed at the end of last term. The accident had thankfully shifted his thoughts completely onto something else, although it was still rather unpleasant. He didn't even want to think about Voldemort or why his scar was hurting in the midst of everything else going on or wonder what it all meant.

He just wanted to be numb. Numb to it all.

Harry suddenly heard a swish of leaves and a twig snapping under foot behind him. He turned his head slightly to the side to see who was approaching. He was half expecting- half hoping to see Ron, so he was thoroughly surprised to see his godfather instead. He had no idea that he was coming to the Burrow today. He quickly looked away as Sirius drew near.

"Hey, kiddo…" his godfather said, sitting down beside Harry on the fallen log. "Whatcha doin' out here?"

"Thinking…" he said softly, not knowing if he should feel relieved or irritated that Sirius had come to find him. He continued to shred his bark distractedly, wondering what Sirius wanted to talk him about.

"Thinking about what?"

"Stuff," he replied shortly. Harry refused to meet his gaze and stared fixatedly at the soft fibrous threads of bark he was peeling apart in his hands.

"I see," said Sirius, finally getting the hint that Harry wasn't going to tell him what was on his mind. Trying a different tactic, he said, "Molly told me about the ButterBeers…"

"BetterBeers," said Harry whispered.

"What's that?"

"They're called BetterBeers. That's what the twins named them," he replied, a little more loudly.

"Oh… well, I must say I was surprised to hear you had gotten drunk."

"Well, I didn't m-mean to," he said honestly, looking up at his godfather for the first time since he sat down. He tossed his shredded bark aside, no longer wanting to seem rude.

Sirius only smiled at him. "In any case, I was told you were quite sick and rather out of it for a long while. You must have been quite the sight, being that smashed."

"Sure make fun of me…" Harry replied, unable to suppress a smirk. "You aren't mad?"

"Why would I be mad at you for having a bit of fun?" Sirius asked, brushing aside a long piece of black hair that had fallen in his face.

Harry shrugged uncertainly. "I don't know… Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were pretty upset about it all."

"Yes, well they have always been a tad conservative," said Sirius. "I know that teenagers are going to experiment a bit once in a while. Just be careful."

"Just be careful?" Harry asked incredulously, finally look up at his godfather. "I thought for sure I would get s-some sort of lecture from you."

Sirius only laughed. "Me? I'm not the lecturing type. Besides, you didn't do anything your father and I didn't do at your age. I'd be hypocritical if I scolded you about it after all the mischief James and I got into while at school."

"You and my dad used to drink?" Harry asked curiously.

Sirius nodded. "Yeah… the Marauders were known to acquire a bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhisky from time to time. We had stashes all over Hogwarts. We were lucky we never caught, or we might have been expelled. But there were a few times old McGonagall questioned us about our evening activities when the four of us all showed up for transfiguration the next day with the symptoms of a hang over."

Sirius talked about it all in such a nonchalant manner that Harry couldn't help but feel a little awkward about it all. "My dad drank w-whiskey?" Harry asked, feeling an odd lump develop in his throat. He shifted uneasily on the log trying to get comfortable again.

"Oh, sure… why?" Sirius asked.

"No reason…" he said quickly.

Harry wasn't sure why, but he found it disturbing to think about his father drinking whiskey. From the way Sirius talked, the Marauders had gotten drunk quite a lot. If his parents had survived that awful attack on Halloween night so many years ago, would his father have drank around him? Would he act like Vernon when he was all liquored up? Harry realized that it was a stupid thing to worry about, and shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"Molly also said that you and Ron got into a fight last night and that you said some stuff about your relatives…" Sirius added.

Harry was surprised that Mrs. Weasley had told Sirius all this without clearing it with him first, but found that he didn't really care. Sirius already knew that he had a crappy home life, but now he knew a few more intimate details. Harry couldn't but feel embarrassed all over again.

"Want to talk about it?" Sirius prodded.

Harry shook his head and wished he hand something in his hands again to keep them from shaking from his growing anxiety. "N-not really…"

"Are you sure? It might help to talk about it with someone."

"That's okay."

"Oh… well, I will always be here if you want to talk… remember, my childhood wasn't exactly perfect either …." he said. Sirius then gently prodded Harry's shoulder with his own in a comforting gesture.

Harry looked up at him appreciatively and said, "I know… thanks…"

Sirius nodded and looked around at the woods surrounding them. He seemed to be choosing what he wanted to say next. "Listen… Remus, Dumbledore, Tonks and I have been talking about your situation and we think we have a plan."

"A plan for what?"

"A plan so that you can testify against your uncle."

Harry let out a frustrated noise and said, "Why do I even have to?" He hated the fact that everyone was trying to pressure him to do something they he didn't want to do. Why couldn't they just let it all go? He wanted nothing more than to move on with his life and forget that he had ever lived with the Dursleys.

Sirius looked him dead in the eye with his piercing blue eyes and said. "Because, Harry, Vernon Dursley needs to be put in jail for what he's done… and if he isn't, I can't promise that I won't go over there myself and rip him to shreds for what he's done to you."

Harry was surprised by his frankness and was a little more than shocked by what he said. Would Sirius really go to Privet Drive and hurt his uncle? What if he got caught and sent to a Muggle jail? Or back to Azkaban? Harry shuddered at the thought.

"You d-don't have to do that," Harry said softly. "It's no big deal, really. Everyone is making this a whole lot w-worse than it really is."

"It is a big deal, Harry. And I want you to testify," Sirius said firmly. "We have everything all figured out to protect your identity and safety. We just need your cooperation."

Harry let out a breath of air slowly and thought about it all. The least he could do was hear Sirius out. "What… w-what would I have to do?" he asked.

"Well, things will need to move quickly if you really are going to testify. I'm not sure I really understand all the legal stuff to be honest. Dumbledore says there is some Muggle red tape that we have to get through in order for us to proceed. And something about jumping through hoops. Does that make any sense to you?"

Harry couldn't help but laugh at Sirius's ignorance about Muggle expressions. "I think Dumbledore just means that we have to do what the Muggles want us to do in order to get what we want."

"Oh, well that makes sense, I guess. Why didn't he just say that? In any case…Tonks has offered her flat in London to serve as your 'pretend home' so that the social worker can conduct a home visit."

"W-why does she have to do a home visit?" Harry asked.

"I think it's their way of ensuring that you are properly being cared for in your new home. I'm sure we have a similar procedure in our world for these types of things, though I wouldn't really know," said Sirius.

"_Of course not,"_ thought Harry. "_Sirius ran away from home when he wasn't much older than me."_

If Sirius's home situation was as bad as he said it was, then it could have gotten a whole lot worse if he had stayed. So bad, in fact, that he might have had to deal with things such things as trials and custody laws too. A part of Harry wished that he would have ran away a long time ago, but he knew that he had been safer in his relative's home then out on the streets, as scary as that sounds.

"I'm assuming that if we have to go to Tonks' place, a home visit here at the Burrow would be next to impossible," Harry finally said.

"Yup," said Sirius, who for lack of anything better to do had tugged at a nearby piece of grass and began to roll it between his fingers.

There was no way they could cast enough glamours over the Burrow so that it appeared more Muggle looking. There was simply too much magic holding it together.

"Alright…" Harry said reluctantly. "It's only for a little while, right?"

"Yeah, only a few days at most."

He hated the thought of leaving the Burrow and the safety and comfort he had come to know there. But if this is what they wanted him to do, then he guess he should do it. It was the least he could do after all the kindness that had been bestowed upon him.

"When is this going to happen?"

Sirius raised an eyebrow at Harry's new found curiosity. "The home visit will probably be scheduled for the end of this week so we need to act fast."

"But Tonks doesn't even really live there, she just keeps it because… well, I'm not sure why… How are we going to make it look like a whole family lives there?"

"Harry, are you a wizard or not?" Sirius said, giving him another playful nudge with his shoulder. "We'll use some decorating and glamour charms and I'm sure Molly could bring a few things. We'll manage…but we will have to fake some of your injuries from the accident and what not… Dumbledore has all of those details figured out. You don't need to worry about any of that."

"Will everyone come with us?" he asked.

"No, just you, Molly, and Arthur. The less people there the better."

"What about Ron?"

Sirius looked thoughtful for a moment as he tossed his blade of grass aside. "I suppose he could come too."

"What happens during a home visit?" he asked, feeling a little more confident about it all.

"Someone from child protective services will come and observe you in your home and they will fill out some type of welfare report. I think it is called a child assessment. If all is well and good then we can have you testify without having them stick their noses into our business," Sirius replied matter-of-factly.

"Can I… c-can I still give my testimony on a taped interview?" Harry asked.

"Yes."

"When will that happen?"

"As soon as the courts receive the child welfare report from your Muggle social worker, I believe," Sirius replied.

"Do I have to go to court for the trial?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Do I have ever see m-my u-uncle again?" Harry asked, feeling an anxious feeling settle in around his chest.

"No. Not if I have any say," Sirius replied.

Harry couldn't help but feel warmed by his godfather's protective nature. "Well, w-what happens if I don't testify?"

"Your uncle could go free," he replied.

Harry squirmed at the thought. He wasn't the only that was being abused at the time of the accident. His aunt had taken her fair share of abuse over the summer as well. He knew that she would never voluntarily leave her wretched husband. She had nothing else to cling to. The rest of her family was gone. Vernon was all she had. Maybe if Vernon was put away for good she might be able to move on.

Harry took a deep breath and asked, "What h-happens if I do testify?"

"Your uncle _might_ go to jail."

"There's no guarantee?"

"No, it's up to the courts."

"And I n-never have to g-go back-k there?" Harry asked uncertainly.

Sirius seemed shocked by the very notion. "Never! The Muggle authorities might try it if something goes wrong in the trial, but I wouldn't allow it. I'd run away with you myself before I ever allowed that to happen, Harry. You must know that!"

Harry felt that warm, protective feeling settle over him once more. "And no one from the media can be present in the courtroom? Or question me?"

"Nope. It's against the Child Protection Laws."

"Is there a chance that this will get out in the n-news anyway?" Harry asked.

"There's always a chance, but I don't think it will happen. We've planned this too carefully," Sirius said honestly. "All the paperwork is in order, and we can magically alter it all if need be."

Harry waited several moments to speak again while he weighed his options. At least he was much calmer now then when he first came out here. In the end he decided he had nothing to lose. The Order was doing everything in their power to ensure the success of him testifying and putting his uncle away. He knew that they could be trusted.

"Okay. I g-guess I'll do it."

Sirius reached across and gave him a one armed hug, squeezing him tightly. "I'm glad."

They sat quietly beside one another for a few more moments. There was something that was worrying Harry since he came to the Burrow that no one had seem to be able to answer for him. He finally found his courage and asked Sirius about what had been nagging him.

"Sirius… what's going to happen with my guardianship?"

"What do you mean?" he asked. From the tone of his voice, Harry knew that Sirius was playing dumb to get him to talk.

Harry asked, "When this is all over, who will be my g-guardian? Where will I live?"

"Well, the Muggles think that the Weasleys are your new guardians… I guess they concocted some story about being distant relatives on your father's side…"

Harry sighed in annoyance. "Yes, I know all of that… but Dumbledore said that things could be difficult for me once the Ministry learns I'm no longer at the Dursleys."

"Yes, well that still is being settled…"

"W-what do you mean?"

"I don't honestly know. Dumbledore says he's handling it."

"Oh," Harry said, feeling rather disappointed. He just wanted to know one way or another if he could still call the Burrow home after this was all over. He had never felt more like an orphan until now and it was a very unwelcome feeling.

"Harry… if you had a choice… " Sirius began, until he saw the look on Harry's face. Harry didn't want to be having to answer that question right now. "Never mind, I won't ask. I probably don't want to know…"

Harry was glad that Sirius stopped himself. He felt really torn about the whole guardianship thing. Part of him wants to live with Sirius, his godfather, because he thought it would be fun and it was how his parents had intended it to be. But another part of him liked being at the Burrow and being close to Ron, especially when they were just beginning to explore their new relationship. Even though he was not technically allowed to live with Sirius because he was a wanted criminal, Harry knew if he wanted it badly enough the Order would help them find a way to make it work.

They sat quietly beside one another for another hour or so before heading back in. Harry appreciated the companionable silence and knew once and for all how much Sirius really cared. He would do anything for Harry, and some ways that was a little scary.

They finally retreated back to the Burrow and found that dinner was being served soon. Sirius was invited to stay and to pass the time he and Harry went flying around the yard chasing one another on brooms.

He was grateful for the distraction. Flying always seemed to clear his head when he was feeling troubled about things. At least his scar had stopped hurting. And it gave him a chance to interact with Sirius in a completely new way.

Harry couldn't remember seeing his godfather so carefree before. When he wasn't traveling in his animagus form on some mission for the Order, Sirius was cooped up in the Orders Headquarters in London attempting to reinstate his family manor into something that was much more habitable. As far as Harry knew, Sirius hadn't flown on a broom since he escaped Azkaban. He must have really missed it. He was a natural flyer. It was easy to see why he played on the Gryffindor Quidditch team while he attended Hogwarts.

They soon were called into dinner. Harry entered the kitchen feeling much calmer than he did earlier. He found that the Weasley clan was already seated at the table and serving up the food. Although the meal was still rather bland because of his delicate stomach, it smelled wonderful. Mrs. Weasley rose from her seat and handed Harry another blue vial, his nutritional potion. He hated taking the stuff and wished he didn't have to, especially in front of the others. But unfortunately, he wasn't gaining the weight that Ron's mum was expecting and he knew it would be a long while before she stopped fussing over him eating; mainly because the incident with the BetterBeers had upset his stomach all over again.

Their evening meal was a quiet affair. Mr. Weasley did his best to engage everyone in conversation and share stories about things that were going on in the Ministry, but no one seemed to really care. The tension in the room was so thick that it could be cut with a knife.

Harry had tried to avoid direct eye contact with the twins and Ginny, but he could still feel their anxious and guilty glances at him while he ate. Harry found their sullen behavior rather annoying, and wish they would stop all this nonsense. Why couldn't everyone just act normally around him?

Ron, who was sitting across from Harry, was acting a bit peculiar as well. He kept trying to get Harry to talk and look at him. And when that wasn't working he slid his foot across the floor underneath the table and pressed his leg against Harry's own. Oddly enough, the warm weight of his leg was comforting somehow. Harry wasn't sure what to make of it, but assumed that Ron was trying to be supportive in his own way. It was like they could share their secret relationship without the others knowing.

Unfortunately, midway through the meal, Harry began to feel slightly nauseous. His head began to hurt again as well, and he found that he could only pick at his food. Seeing the pitiful look Mrs. Weasley was giving him, he shoved another morsel of food into his mouth, hoping to make her happy. He chewed quickly and swallowed the lump painfully.

He reached for his glass of juice to wash it down when he was suddenly overcome by an immense amount of pain. It felt as though his forehead was splitting wide open. He instantly dropped his glass in shock, which then rolled off the table and clattered nosily to the floor, spilling juice everywhere.

Everyone around him had jumped up and they were asking him questions he could not hear. Someone had tried to comfort him by placing their hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged them off, not wanting to be touched.

"Step back! Give him some room!" someone shouted.

Another wave of pain overcame him and he pressed his hands firmly against his scar, desperately trying to will away the throbbing ache. But the pain wouldn't stop. He hadn't felt his scar hurt like this in a very long time and didn't want to think of the implications. The intensity of it grew considerably with each passing second and his breathing became erratic. Harry tried to hang on to consciousness for as long as he could, but the pain consumed him so completely that soon darkness overwhelmed him. He fell to the floor and passed into oblivion, dimly aware that someone nearby was screaming.

_A dark cavernous room appeared before him, and a small balding man crawled towards him in a pathetic manner._

"_Master… p-please forgive me…I'll do better…" Wormtail begged on his hands and knees. His robes were dirtied and tattered and it appeared as if he had been tortured for a long while now._

"_I trusted you to do my bidding… and you have failed… CRUCIO!" Harry yelled, training his wand on the small balding man's pitiful form. His body writhed in agony and he screamed in pain as he held the curse to intolerable levels. Smiling in satisfaction, Harry lifted his wand allowing his servant a moment's rest._

_Wormtail shakily rose to his hands and knees once more. His pale hand grasped his silvery one and he pleaded, "P-please… I will find the boy, it's just that… it's just that D-Dumbledore has him hidden so well… we've tried all of our resources and we c-cannot find his relative's house…"_

"_I do not want excuses… find the boy! I need the boy!" Harry yelled. _

"_Yes master… I will m-master… please be merciful master…" Wormtail pleaded as he crawled across the floor and kissed the hem of Harry's robes._

_Harry hissed in annoyance. "I am not a merciful man, Wormtail, but you did restore me to this body when no other would… you remain my most faithful servant… you will have another to chance to prove your worth… find the boy, and if you cannot, kill his relatives and his friends… and anyone else he cares about until he turns himself to me… I need him and I am not above destroying everything he loves in order to bend him to my will… do you understand, Wormtail?"_

"_Yes, my lord… I will do thy bidding…"_

"_You know the consequences should you fail again?" _

"_Yes, master…"_

"Harry!"

"_Harry Potter will be mine!" the unearthly voice hissed._

"Harry, wake up!" Ron called to him desperately.

Harry's eyes slowly opened and he could see a sea of red heads above him. If he was feeling ill before, it was nothing compared to how he was feeling now. His scar was still burning painfully and his head felt like it had been hit by a round of bludgers. Several voices from above were repeatedly trying to ask him if he was okay. He groaned as he tried to sit up, but a dark head amongst the red suddenly came into view, stopping his progress by gently pushing him back down.

"No, don't," Sirius cautioned. "Lay there for a moment. You had quite a fall from your chair."

"Oh dear, is he alright?" he heard Mrs. Weasley ask, her voice choked with emotion.

"Are you okay, mate?" Ron asked worriedly, still kneeling by his side.

"I-I think so… my head hurts…" Harry replied thickly.

"Was it a vision?" he asked.

"Yeah… I think so…"

"Can you tell us what happened Harry? What did you see?" asked Mr. Weasley, from somewhere over head.

"Not just yet… give me a moment…" Harry said, trying to clear his throat. His head was still swimming and he was having difficulty trying to recall what he had just seen.

"It's okay, Harry. Just take your time," said Sirius, his blue eyes shining with concern. He reached out stroked Harry's hair comfortingly.

"I thought I heard someone screaming. Who was screaming?" Harry asked hoarsely, his throat feeling oddly itchy at the moment.

"You were mate…" Ron said gently.

"Oh," Harry replied. Well that must be why his throat was hurt so much right now.

Harry gave himself another moment to relax on the floor of the kitchen before easing himself up into a seated position. He fixed his glasses, which had been knocked askew, and saw all the concerned faces staring down on him. Ginny looked like she was going to cry and the twins had that serious look on their faces again.

He couldn't have felt more embarrassed about it all. First the Weasleys heard what he said to Ron about the Dursleys, and now they had seen him pass out unceremoniously from a vision.

He placed his hands firmly on the floor and pushed himself up so that he could stand, but found that he was still a bit woozy from his ordeal. Sirius gently grabbed him under his arms and helped set him upright. He then held him for a moment until he was sure that Harry could stand under his own devices.

"Are you alright?" Ron asked again, grabbing Harry's elbow when it looked he might stagger once more.

"Yeah," he said softly. "Just a b-bit out of it, I guess."

"Can you remember what you saw Harry?" Mr. Weasley asked. "It's important."

"N-no…." Harry said slowly. It wasn't a complete lie. He could only remember bits and pieces and it wasn't anything that would be useful to the Order anyway. They already knew Voldemort was looking for him. "My head still hurts. I-I think I want to lie down…"

"Here, let me help you upstairs," said Mrs. Weasley, rushing forward to take care of him. "Would you like some tea? Maybe a pain relieving potion? How about a cooling charm on your head?"

"Er… th-that's alright. I can make it upstairs on my own." Harry wanted nothing more to just be left alone, even if Mrs. Weasley meant well.

"But-" Mrs. Weasley began again, clearly distressed that Harry wasn't going to allow her to take care of him. He quickly shot a look at his godfather and Sirius seemed to understand.

"Molly, I'll walk him up. Arthur, you might want to owl Dumbledore and let him know Harry had a vision… even if he can't remember it all right now…" said Sirius, placing an arm around Harry's shoulder.

"Yes, of course…" Mr. Weasley said.

"C'mon then," Sirius said, walking Harry to the stairs.

They left the kitchen and headed up to the room he shared with Ron, leaving a very worried family behind. They could hear the frantic and hushed whispers as they slowly made their way upstairs.

Sirius walked him to his cot once they reached Ron's room and sat him down gently before kneeling before him.

"Are you sure you are alright?" he asked.

Harry rubbed his eyes beneath his glasses tiredly. "Yeah, I just have a headache now. It's not as bad as before."

"And you don't remember anything you saw or heard?"

"N-not really… I think he's trying to find me for some reason… but I don't know why…" Harry admitted.

"Well, we knew that much already… anything else?" Sirius asked curiously.

Harry thought hard for a moment a piece of the vision came back to him through a hazy mist.

"_Find the boy, and if you cannot, kill his relatives and his friends… and anyone else he cares about until he turns himself to me…"_

Harry crossed his arms over his chest and let a shaky breath.

Sirius look worried. "What is it?"

"I think he's going to c-come after my f-friends if he can't find me… to l-lure me out in the open, I guess…"

"Harry, you don't have to worry about that. The Order will protect you and your friends at all costs," Sirius tried to reassure him. "I would never let anything happen to you."

"I know, but you c-can't be with me all the time… what if something happens again like l-last year… Cedric d-died because of me… w-what if… what if R-ron or Hermione are next?" Harry asked fearfully.

The very prospect of losing Ron after they had just started to reveal their feelings about each other tore at Harry's soul. He couldn't imagine watching Ron die like Cedric did. Harry thought for sure he might die with him.

"Harry, I know it's hard, but you can't think that way."

"I c-can't help it!" he said angrily, tears flashing in his eyes.

Seeing him so distressed, Sirius leaned forward and wrapped his arms around his shaking godson. It was all Harry could do not to lose it in that moment, as he returned the gesture. Was this what it was like to be hugged by a father? Why do parental-like hugs always seem to be his undoing? It was like the very embrace itself from an adult who cared about him could penetrate the walls he had so carefully constructed. They slowly were cracking under the pressure and were threatening to come tumbling down.

Determined not to break down again, he gently pushed Sirius away and sniffed noisily. He felt like he had to be strong for some reason.

Sirius leaned back and looked at him searchingly. "Anything else you can tell me about the vision?"

Harry shook his head and crossed his arms back over his chest.

"Alright… well, I'm going to go speak to the others and see what Dumbledore thinks about all of this… will you be okay by yourself for a bit?"

"Yeah… I-I'm just gonna lie down…"

"Okay. I'll be back to check on you later. Try to relax," Sirius said softly. He ruffled his hair making it messier than usual, before rising to his feet and walking quietly out of the room.

Harry had intended to lie down when he came up here, but found himself standing beside the window instead, looking outside at the darkness surrounding the Burrow, wondering what dangers lay out there.

A short while later, Harry heard Ron enter his bedroom. Harry turned to face him and saw that Ron had stopped in the doorway and was surveying him quietly.

"Are you okay?" Ron finally asked.

Harry began to nod slowly, but upon seeing Ron's concerned face he shook his head instead.

No, he was not okay. He wasn't okay at all.

Feeling rather vulnerable at the moment, Harry crossed his arms over his chest again and stared at the dingy old carpet that covered the wood floors of Ron's room. He hated feeling this way… so lost… so alone… dealing with all the crap that seemed to happen in his life.

His friend seemed to understand this somehow. Wordlessly Ron walked across the room and gathered him in his arms. Harry stiffened at first not really knowing what he should do, but then found himself leaning into the embrace longingly. He relished the warmth of Ron's body against his own and rested his aching forehead against the taller boy's strong shoulder.

Maybe he wasn't so alone… maybe he could face all of this after all…

* * *

A/N: Sorry that took me so long to write. I had difficulty beginning this chapter. I had always planned for Ron to find out about Harry's past as it happened in the last chapter, but the rest of the Weasleys finding it out in the same scene was a surprise to even me. I hadn't realized that when Harry threw open the door to leave that the others would be on the other side… but there they were. My muse works in mysterious ways. Anyway, I hope you like how the story is progressing. As you can see, the trial will be of some importance in this story, but another sub plot is slowly taking over. Don't forget to leave me a review! 

**Many thanks to all my reviewers and readers! I love you guys!**


	16. Confusion and Understanding

A/N: I have some disturbing news… two of my other stories were stolen and posted on another website under a different name. I was quite outraged when I learned what had happened, and strangely flattered. The problem has since been taken care of, but I was quite upset for a while there. A big thanks goes out to Col Sanders for making me aware of the situation.

**Chapter 16- Confusion and Understanding**

Harry leaned back against the old oak tree he was sitting under, stretching his now aching back. He gave a loud yawn and stretched his arms overhead before turning back to the book that was resting in his lap. He had already been out here for the better part of the morning desperately trying to read his Potions' text. It was all he could think of to distract his mind from worrying about everything and he figured that he'd at least learn something about his least favorite subject before he had to resume classes in the autumn.

Although it had been helpful talking to Ron last night about his worries, Harry still wasn't feeling very cheerful. The memory of the vision he had yesterday at dinner had all but vanished from his tired mind, but he was still left with a feeling of utter hopelessness. It was all he could do not go to think about it all, which is one of the reasons he had escaped outside this morning.

Harry had also been feeling a little claustrophobic inside the Burrow this morning so he opted to get some fresh air while he waited for Sirius to arrive. Everyone seemed extra worried about him since he collapsed at dinner last night and were giving him funny looks all morning long. He knew all of the Weasleys meant well, but he wasn't used to such attention and sometimes it was a little overwhelming.

Harry suddenly felt the presence of someone approaching and raised his head when a dark shadow fell over him. Squinting against the harsh sunlight, he peered up at dark form and discovered that it was his godfather. Harry quickly closed his book and jumped up to meet him.

"What did Dumbledore say?" Harry asked without hesitation.

"Well hello to you too…" Sirius said with a chuckle.

"Oh, s-sorry… hi…"

Sirius gave him an easy smile and said, "Hi."

"Well?" Harry asked again as he clutched the book he had been reading to his chest. "What did he say?"

"Dumbledore was pretty concerned about your vision last night… he suspected that this sort of thing might start happening soon. He was very curious to know if you remembered anything else yet," Sirius revealed.

"Nothing important," Harry muttered, feeling quite irritated with himself for being so useless. All he had left of the vision now was a feeling of absolute despair and an impression of Wormtail and Voldemort discussing the search for him. He couldn't even remember what they had exactly said; just that it was about finding him. "I just wish I could help the Order in some way."

"Actually, Dumbledore insisted that it was important that we try to keep you from having these visions…" Sirius said slowly.

Harry was completely stunned. "What? Why? As much as I hate them, it might give us some information about what Voldemort is up to."

"I agree that they could be useful, but your safety is more important. Dumbledore wants you to learn to block them as soon as possible," his godfather replied.

"How?" Harry asked curiously.

"Occlumency."

"Occu- what?"

"Occlumency," Sirius repeated. "It's the ability to block another from entering your mind. You are going to begin receiving private Occlumency lessons once school resumes."

That didn't sound too bad. "Will Professor Dumbledore be teaching me?" asked Harry.

Sirius's face looked down upon him sadly, and Harry knew that he had been selected to be the bearer of bad news. "Nope, sorry… I hate to have to tell you this, but Snape is going to teach you."

"What? No way! He h-hates me!" Harry said in exasperation.

"That very well may be, but Dumbledore assures me that he is the most skilled in the art because of his spying for the Order."

"Why can't Dumbledore teach me?"

Sirius shook his head. "Sorry. It's either Snape or no one."

"Then no one… I don't even want to learn anyway…" Harry muttered, knowing full well that he didn't really have a choice in the matter.

"Sorry, kiddo, but you have to. And you can't tell anyone about it either," Sirius added.

Harry didn't like the idea of keeping secrets from his friends, especially over something this big. They had always shared everything. "Not even Ron… or Hermione?"

Sirius smiled knowingly, "Well, I suppose you can tell them, but no one else."

Harry had been so looking forward to returning to Hogwarts, but now he wasn't so sure he wanted to return now. Not if it meant he was stuck going down to Snape's creepy dungeons all the time to receive private tutoring from a man that openly shows his hatred for him. The more he thought about having to go down there night after night, the more he realized that one of his dorm mates would eventually begin to wonder about his continued absence if he couldn't explain it away.

"But what'll I say if someone asks why I'm going to meet Snape so often after class?" Harry asked.

Sirius seemed reluctant to respond, but finally said, "Remedial potions."

"What? This is bloody awful!" Harry whined as a scowl appeared on his face.

Sirius looked truly upset for him. "Sorry. I wish I could help you myself, but as much as I hate to admit it, Snape really is quite the Occlumens."

"I guess…" Harry said under his breath.

Sirius then peeked under Harry's arms at the textbook he had clutched to his chest and sarcastically said, "_Magical Drafts and Potions_, well at least you're getting a head start…that'll impress Snape."

Harry gave him a dirty look and said in a dead pan, "Ha-ha, very funny…"

Sirius chuckled and said, "Don't look so sad. It's not the worst thing in the world."

"Yeah, well you've never had to be in his class. He's absolutely horrid!"

Sirius nodded in agreement. He couldn't argue with that statement. He suddenly got a concerned look on his face as he contemplated Snape's teaching notorious practices. "Harry, listen… if Snape gives you a hard time I want you to let me know about it. Okay? And if you have any more visions you need to tell someone immediately. Do you understand?"

"Yeah…"

Sirius smiled at him reassuringly. "Good… I hate to leave you so soon, but I really need to be getting back to headquarters."

"So I take it the meeting about the move is tonight?" Harry asked his godfather.

He nodded. "Yeah, we're hoping to enlist the help of everyone in the Order. This is a big operation and we're going to need a lot of help."

"Maybe we shouldn't do this then. I d-don't want to be a bother…" Harry said softly.

He was still having second thoughts about this whole thing and he hated knowing how much trouble he was causing. If they hadn't been so insistent, Harry would have never agreed to testify against his uncle.

Sirius growled in frustration. "You are not a bother Harry! We are doing this so that you can testify against your uncle and put him in jail _where he belongs!" _

"B-but there must be better things the Order can be d-doing then looking after me…" he pleaded. "With Voldemort back again-"

Sirius shook his head like he was frustrated with Harry. "Don't worry about it Harry… your safety is the most important thing right now and we are going to do everything we can to see that you can testify."

"Alright," Harry said, still not feeling much better about it all.

He would have liked to call the whole thing off, but knew how much that would upset everyone. Why they would be upset was something he just couldn't understand. What did it matter to them if Vernon went to jail or not? It was his personal business, wasn't it?

"Well, I gotta go, kiddo… are you going to be alright here while I'm gone?" Sirius asked, clasping Harry's shoulder with his hand.

"I'll be fine, Sirius…" he replied in a somewhat patronizing tone.

"Okay…I'll see you soon," Sirius said as he turned back to the Burrow.

Harry watched him go inside and assumed he was flooing directly back to headquarters. He walked back slowly and noticed that he was starting to break a sweat in this heat. He had been out here a while now, but he wondered how it had gotten so hot out here without him ever noticing. He climbed the steps to the Burrow, pulled open the door, and walked into the wonderfully cool kitchen. There he found Mrs. Weasley quietly humming to herself as she buzzed about the room.

Having nothing else to do, Harry decided that he should volunteer to help Mrs. Weasley. She was currently packing up some things from the kitchen into various sized boxes that they would be bringing to Tonks' flat in London.

"Can I help you pack?"

"What's that dear?" she asked as she looked up from one of the cupboards she had been peering in.

"Can I help you pack?" he asked again.

"No, no, of course not. I'm almost done her anyway… it's not like we need to bring everything. Just enough to convince that Mitchell woman that we live there in that flat…" she said as she shooed him out of kitchen.

"Oh, okay…." said Harry slowly, as he watched Mrs. Weasley used her wand to shrink the boxes she had packed and set them on the table.

It had been decided that in order to pull of this home visit that his social worker had to conduct at his place of residence, it would be necessary to bring a few things from the Burrow to give Tonks' sparse little flat that "lived in" look. Harry felt bad that he was practically uprooting this family in order to appease the Muggle system of child protection laws.

He turned away from the kitchen and almost ran in the youngest member of the Weasley family. Ginny had been helping her mother pack a few things in the living room and quietly humming to herself as well, looking very much like a miniature version of her mother.

"Hey, Harry…" Ginny said to him, beaming him a bright smile.

"Hi, Ginny," he replied. When she didn't say anything else he politely asked, "Do you need some help?"

Ginny looked up at him in genuine surprise, her face growing slightly red. She then scanned the living room carefully, twirling a long tendril of auburn hair around her finger as she looked around for something for Harry to do. After a short while she sighed and sadly said, "Er… I wish you could but it looks like I'm almost done here…"

Harry felt almost relieved. After his conversation with Sirius about learning Occlumency from Snape, he really wasn't in the mood to put up with Ginny. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy talking to Ginny; it was just that whenever she was around him she made him feel uncomfortable, like he was betraying Ron or something. Her ongoing crush on him was common knowledge and he was careful to make sure that she didn't think he was interested in her. "Oh, okay…" said Harry feeling quite relieved. He tried to make a hasty retreat.

Ginny, however, seemed keen on trying to make conversation with him. "Hey, did you know that Bill is coming home?"

"Yeah, Ron told me last night," he replied, turning back to her.

"The twins and I are going to stay with him while you and Ron are in London. Isn't that great?" she asked.

"Oh… I guess so…" Harry didn't know Bill that well, but he seemed to be a pretty cool guy. It was obvious that Ginny adored him and Harry was glad that she would have her eldest brother home again soon.

"I can't wait…" she squealed excitedly.

Harry tried to think of something else to say, but found he couldn't think of anything. He hadn't ever really talked to Ginny before, besides the time they were in the Chamber of Secrets together, and he wasn't sure if they had that much in common. He wanted to be polite, but he just didn't know what to say.

Glancing around trying to think of something, he caught sight of Mrs. Weasley smirking at them from the kitchen and wondered what she was thinking.

"_Does she think I like Ginny?"_ Harry wondered. He was almost horrified at the thought.

"Sure I can't help?" he finally asked, sensing that Ginny was waiting for him to say something.

"Nope," she said with a sad smile. "I wish you could…"

Harry shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, alright then… I guess I'll go upstairs…"

"Thanks anyway," she called after him before returning back to her work.

Harry sighed in relief and climbed the stairs to the upper floors, hoping to find Ron in their room. He hadn't seen him all morning and already he was missing his beautiful freckled face. Harry didn't know when he had become so infatuated with his best mate, but now it seemed he wanted to be with him all the time. Something about that both thrilled him and scared him.

Lost in thought about the boy that he was secretly falling in love with, Harry ran straight into the twins, who seemed to have been waiting for him on the landing.

"Harry, Harry, Harry-" Fred began

"-how are you my man?"

"Haven't had much time to talk to you about your investment-"

"-Do you have a moment?" George quickly finished.

The twins had a way of speaking so fast that it was nearly impossible to keep up with him. Harry just started nodding his head before he realized what he had agreed to.

"I g-guess…" Harry stammered, as he was directed to the door of the twins' room. He was a little anxious to be alone with them after what had happened only yesterday.

Fred knocked on the door three times and then rattled the door handle loudly. He then smiled down at Harry warmly as he opened their bedroom door. Harry's mouth dropped in wonder as he gazed past the twins into their sacred room. It wasn't like anything he had seen before.

"Welcome to our laboratory young friend-"

"-step inside, step inside…" said George, sounding very much like the ring leader of a circus side show act, as he ushered Harry inside.

Not sure what to expect, Harry clutched the potions textbook he was still carrying to his chest, and took a hesitant step forward, waiting for some kind of explosion to take place. In the weeks he had lived here, he had heard enough loud noises to know that the twins' room was dangerous territory.

"Do be careful-" George cautioned.

"-watch your head!" said his twin, as he pushed Harry's head down to bypass what looked like an elaborate booby trap system.

Harry stared in awe as he looked around at the twins' room. It was hard to find words to describe it. Every where he looked there were diagrams and notes pinned to their walls outlining ideas for their newest invention. Several cauldrons, each nearly bubbling over with colorful, frothy looking substances were set upon every available surface. Potion ingredients were stuffed into their dresser drawers and were spilling out haphazardly. Boxes filled with fake wands and other joke product paraphernalia were stacked in the corners of the small room and sample flyers for the latest Weasley Wizarding Wheezes were laid out on each of their beds. What he could see of the walls and ceiling behind all of the parchment, which wasn't much, was stained by colorful potions that had exploded. And some suspicious looking scorch marks marred the door and one corner of the room from some sort of disaster not too long ago.

Not a square inch of the room had been wasted. Every possible space was utilized to accommodate the growing needs of their small business.

"You've been busy…" Harry commented.

"Yes, we have!" they said in unison.

As far as he knew, he was the only one to have been allowed access to their "laboratory" since they arrived home from Hogwarts. No one else had been permitted entrance and Mrs. Weasley didn't dare step into such treacherous territory.

George smiled at Harry's wonderment. "We wanted to show you Harry, that your investment has not gone to waste-"

"-and to demonstrate some of our latest products that are currently under development."

They directed Harry to a stool in the center of the room, where it was safe, and proceeded to give Harry their sales pitch. He listened quietly as their enthusiasm bubbled over about each of their new products, feeling some of his anxiety from this morning dissipate. Harry had felt very apprehensive about being alone with the twins, especially after how they had tried to confront him the day before, but now they seemed to be trying their best to make him feel at ease.

There seemed to be no end to their inventions. Harry especially liked the Canary Creams. And he was thankful he didn't have to personally try any of them himself. Fred and George had been more than willing to demonstrate each for Harry, despite whatever pain or ills it caused them.

Harry applauded loudly once the twins were finished and laughed out loud as they each took a bow.

"Well, what do you think?"

"I'm impressed!" Harry said genuinely.

"Good… we wanted you to know how much we appreciated the gold you gave us-"

"-we haven't wasted a single galleon," George insisted.

"I wouldn't care if you did," said Harry.

"Well, we wouldn't-"

"-and we're going to pay you back-" Fred began.

"Don't you dare!" Harry said loudly, standing up form his stool.

"What?" the twins both asked, looking at one another in confusion.

"Don't you ever pay me back! I didn't want the gold when I gave it to you and I don't want it now…" The last thing Harry wanted was to ever see was his winnings from the Triwizard Tournament again. It brought back too many painful memories about Cedric's death.

"But Harry-" Fred tried to reason.

"No buts!" Harry protested. "Promise me you'll never try to pay me back."

"Fine… have it your way…" George said, throwing up his hands in protest.

"Good," said Harry.

Fred and George could only look at him in disbelief. Coming from a family that was so poor it was hard for them to understand how anyone could turn down money.

"Now if you'll excuse me gentleman…" Harry said in a business-like voice as he walked towards the door.

Pulling it open he heard one of them say, "That one is a nutter, I tell you-"

"-absolutely mental!"

Harry smiled to himself as he walked up the rest of the stairs. He felt in a much better mood than he had this morning and that was saying something.

Harry went up to the bedroom he shared with Ron and wasn't surprised to find that he was also packing some of things that would be brought to the flat. The large cardboard box he was tossing things into was filled nearly to the brim with clothing and other miscellaneous items that would help the flat look lived in.

"How's it goin'?" Harry asked, sitting down on his bed to watch Ron at work. He tossed his potions text aside, realizing that he wouldn't be able to look at it again and not think about Snape and the Occlumency lessons.

"Alright, I guess… you all packed?" Ron inquired.

Harry glanced down at his trunk at the foot of the bed and shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, I don't have much anyway," he stated.

Everything he owned could be packed into his Hogwarts trunk with room to spare. He didn't have much. Just some school books and quills and things along with his parent's photo album and an invisibility cloak. The few clothes he owned were already neatly packed away. Most of them were clothes that had been handed down to him from Dudley that Mrs. Weasley had lovingly repaired and shrunk down to size. But he also had many Weasley hand me downs as well. He understood that the Weasley's wouldn't be able to provide with all new things, and he gratefully accepted all they had to offer. But he definitely needed to see about purchasing some new clothes when they went shopping for their school things next autumn.

"Oh, right… sorry," Ron said sheepishly.

Harry peered into the cardboard box that Ron had been filling a little more carefully and noticed that he had stuffed in there some of his Chudley Cannon posters and banners.

"Er, Ron… you probably shouldn't bring any Quidditch stuff," he noted.

Ron looked up in surprise. "Why not? I thought hanging posters around our room would make it look more like a couple of teenagers lived there. Isn't that what we want that sosho-worker to think?"

"That would be fine if I had a magical _social_ worker coming to check on me, but I have a Muggle one coming instead. Don't you think that the moving pictures of people flying on brooms is going to look a bit odd?"

"Never thought of it like that. I guess you're right. I'll leave them behind," Ron said with a sigh. He grabbed the Quidditch paraphernalia from the box and pinned them back onto his bright orange walls.

Harry chuckled as he watched Ron give them a fond pat. "Don't sound so glum, we're only going for a few days at most…"

"I guess…"

Harry watched Ron for a few moments walk aimlessly around the room and tossed random things into the box. After a while it was clear that Ron was getting agitated with the task.

"This is getting boring… want to play Exploding Snap?" Ron asked.

"Sure," Harry said with smile.

He may not be able to beat Ron in chess, but in Exploding Snap everyone was fair game.

* * *

Arthur hoped he wasn't late for the meeting. It had been quite difficult to leave the Ministry in the middle of the afternoon on such short notice and he had to make up a story about investigating a rumor involving talking toilets in order to get away. 

Upon Apparating to headquarters, Arthur quickly descended the stone steps to the basement kitchen and pushed open the large door. On the other side he found several familiar witches and wizards talking quietly amongst themselves, restlessly waiting in the basement kitchen for the meeting to begin. They were all members of the Order of the Phoenix and each had been summoned to their make-shift headquarters nearly an hour ago by owl mail.

Arthur quickly noted that although there were many present several members of the Order had yet to arrive. He scanned the assembled group trying to determine who was missing. To his utter surprise, Arthur delightfully discovered the presence of his eldest son. Bill had decided to come home from Egypt to work for the Order's cause only a short while ago. He quickly crossed the room to greet him.

"Bill, when did you get in?" he asked as he affectionately embraced the young man. They hadn't expected Bill to arrive home until later that evening.

"Only a short while ago…haven't even got a chance to settle in yet. I was going to stop by the Burrow to see Mum, but I was summoned down here instead," Bill replied, with an easy smile.

Arthur noticed that his long hair was still pulled into a pony tail and the earring that dangled from his ear hadn't yet disappeared. He knew that his wife would complain about it to him incessantly, claiming that Bill didn't look like a proper wizard and that he would have a difficult time finding a nice young witch to settle down with him if he didn't care more about his appearance. Arthur, on the other hand, was proud of his son's individuality and knew he would settle down when the time was right.

"Well, it's good to have you back. I know your mother can't wait to see you," said Arthur, clapping his son on the back. "Let's have a seat."

They sat down beside one another at the overly large wooden table that dominated most of the kitchen. They chatted quietly to each other, while they waited for the others to arrive.

Bill had decided that when he returned to England that he would live at the Order's headquarter at least temporarily until he found a place of his own. The Order certainly had enough space for him in this large house, even if it wasn't in the best shape, and Bill reasoned that Burrow was already crowded enough without him there. Besides, he worked odd hours most of the time, but could probably find time to have a meal with them once in awhile. Molly hadn't been too keen on Bill living away from home, but she didn't fret over it too much. She knew that as a grown man her son needed his space.

As they talked, Arthur quietly observed the other members who had already arrived. Tonks was standing off to one side looking a little unsure of herself in this large group. She had chosen to wear her hair long and black that day, and it hung about her face listlessly. Hestia Jones had tried unsuccessfully to engage Tonks in a conversation several times now, but to no avail. It appeared as though Tonks had a lot on her mind. Shacklebolt and Moody were seated at the far end of the table talking amongst themselves. And a small group was listening to Mundungus Fletcher explain his latest acquisition in trade, while McGonagall looked on in disapproval.

Molly had chosen to stay behind to watch after the children, while Arthur attended the meeting, already knowing what she would hear if she had come.

After a short while Bill announced, "I'm going to go speak with Tonks for a moment…I'll be back…"

Arthur nodded and watched as his son approached Tonks, wondering if he had any feelings for the pretty young witch. Not wanting to pry into his son's life, he looked away and listened quietly to the conversations around him. He wanted to determine what they all knew about their mission, and was surprised to discover that they had been kept in the dark about it all. Dumbledore must have been waiting until today to disclose the full information about their mission.

It was clear from the conversations that he could hear that everyone was speculating as to the nature of this meeting. Some wondered what was so important to call upon them all at once in the middle of the day. It was a rather peculiar situation, but Arthur assumed Dumbledore had his reasons for everything.

They had never assembled all the members of the Order all together before, though they all knew each other intimately. Usually small groups of wizards and witches worked together under the guidance of their leader to achieve some goal, but always in isolation of the others. It was just too risky to have the entire Order under the same roof at the same time, and they certainly didn't want to arouse suspicion for so many to be absent from their normal lives all at the same time. For some reason, Dumbledore thought it was important to do so today.

The door to the kitchen suddenly burst open, startling them all greatly. Severus Snape stalked moodily into the room and took an available chair beside Arthur. He sat down in one fluid motion and leaned back, his arms crossed over his chest. His face was stone cold, showing little or no emotion, and Arthur wondered what it took for a man to become that way.

Not really caring to get into a conversation with Snape, Arthur turned away. He was soon lost in thought while he waited. He had been thinking about Harry and his situation all week and hoped that they would be able to pull this mission off safely. Arthur wanted nothing more to put Vernon Dursley in jail for what he had done to the poor boy, but he knew that there were several variables that could prevent their mission from being a success. He and his wife had already been apprised of the plan because of the role they would play in it, and he was going over it in his mind trying to find anything that they might have missed that could be problem. He couldn't think of anything yet, but that didn't mean there wasn't something they had forgotten. Without realizing it he had begun to drum his fingers against the table anxiously.

"Must you do that?" Severus snapped at him.

"Sorry," he muttered to the man beside him, as he clasped his hands together instead. Despite the fact that he had ceased his apparent annoying behavior, Snape still seemed ill at ease.

Bill rejoined his father again at the table and sat on the other side of him. "Alright there, Dad?" Bill asked him.

"I'm fine… just a lot on my mind," Arthur said to his son quietly. In truth he had only one thing- or rather one person- on his mind… Harry.

Little by little the rest of the Order began to file into the sub-level room. Only three chairs remained unoccupied at the large table, reserved for the senior members of the Order that would be leading the discussion. Some transfigured chairs from pots and pans hanging over the stove when all the other chairs were occupied. Most, however, chose to stand against the walls.

Arthur noticed Remus Lupin had joined their gathering from somewhere upstairs and was quickly followed by Sirius. "Dumbledore should be here shortly," Remus announced as he took his seat beside Sirius at the table.

The gathering began to mumble quietly to themselves, once again wondering why they were all called here.

Soon the fireplace against the far wall was alight with bright green flames signaling the presence of someone flooing in. A tall white bearded wizard donned in dark purple robes stepped out over the hearth and into the kitchen.

"Sorry for my late arrival, but I had some business to attend to at Hogwarts," Albus apologized.

Moody nodded curtly and gestured at Dumbledore towards the only unoccupied chair. The wizard nodded in reply and took his place at the head of the table. His pale blue eyes scanned over the crowd, "I trust that we are all here?"

"Yes. Now some of us have some more pressing matters to attend to. Are we ready to begin?" asked Snape coldly.

Arthur sighed in frustration at the younger man's insolence. He knew that he was a valuable asset to the Order as a spy and that he probably did have some pressing matters to get back to, but he couldn't help but dislike the insufferable man. He had been nothing been rude to all of his children while they attended Hogwarts and wondered if his so-called "act" wasn't really so much of an act. He had been carrying on like an overgrown bat, as Ron would say, for far too long.

"Yes, we may begin, Severus… patience…" Albus chided.

"Sorry headmaster…" Snape said in a low tone. "But I do have some important business to attend to myself."

"Yes, I know…" Dumbledore nodded once more in forgiveness, "which is why I called this meeting early today…

"You've all been called here today because I will need your assistance in a most urgent matter. Harry Potter, as you all know, has been residing with the Weasleys this summer. However, a situation has come to pass in which Harry must be moved temporarily from the Burrow and placed in a Muggle flat in London. I will need the assistance of the Order to ensure his safety during this procedure. Sirius, can you please elaborate… " Dumbledore began. The wizened wizard then leaned forward on the table, steepling his hands in front of him thoughtfully.

"Of course…" said Sirius, rising from his chair. He turned to the far wall of the kitchen and with a wave of his hand a street map of a district of London appeared. "Tonks has generously allowed us to move Harry to her flat, which is located here…" he said, pointing to a location on the map. "Harry will take up residence here for a few days, should everything go according to our plan.

"We need the Order to assemble a guard, which will be stationed at various positions within the building and around the surrounding neighborhood beginning tomorrow morning. We will need you to patrol the area and look for any Death Eater activity that might interfere with this mission. You will each be given an emergency portkey that will take Harry and the Weasleys to a safe location should anything go wrong. At the conclusion of this meeting, should you agree to help us, you will be given schedule of rotation. We tried to take into account everyone's day jobs, but some of you will need to call in sick. We can't afford to have Harry unguarded at any time. Your participation the next two days is crucial. Harry and the Weasleys cannot be moved until everything is in place."

"May I ask why we are being so cautious? Do we have reason to believe there is Death Activity in the area?" asked Deldalus Diggle, nervously clutching his violet top hat, which had fallen off of his head.

Sirius paused for a moment, before he answered the man's question. "As some of you already know, I have a source in Bulgaria who has reason to believe that there will be an attack on a wizarding village in Britain in the near future. It could be any one of our communities, but there is no way to be sure when the attack will occur. Let me make it clear that we have no reason to believe it will be tomorrow. We are just being cautious," Sirius replied.

"But you said we're moving them to Muggle London," retorted another wizard.

At this point Remus cut into the discussion. "Yes, but there is a wizarding village not far from Tonks' flat in London… Diagon Alley… which is why you all will be stationed around the given area. Should an attack go down, there is no way of knowing if it will spill over on the surrounding Muggle sectors. We must be ready just in case."

"Do we know for a fact that Diagon Alley is a target?" asked Moody.

"No, we just know that it could be any of the wizarding communities in Great Britain. We've informed the Ministry that every village should be on high alert, but our caution was not taken seriously… we can only wait until we have further information," Remus explained.

Arthur listened quietly as Sirius continued to outline each of their roles tomorrow and stressing that each of them dressed in a Muggle disguise. He, of course, knew all of this already having been briefed earlier this week. A part of him resented the fact that Sirius had taken a leadership position in all of this, when it was Arthur and his family that had rescued and cared for Harry since removing him from the hospital. But he supposed that as Harry's godfather, Sirius was doing whatever he could to help his godson, even if he couldn't care for Harry himself because of his compromised situation.

Arthur was glad that he was still able to play such a prominent role in all of this. Tomorrow's mission was going to take all of his patience and acting abilities. Fortunately for the Order, his position at the Ministry in the office of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts had gained him a certain level of knowledge about the Muggle world. Despite what Tonks said, Arthur was certain he would know how to blend in with Muggle Society. He was proud of himself for knowing the culture so well and felt sure that he and Molly would be able to pull everything off.

"Any questions?" Sirius asked as he concluded his debriefing.

Snape ignored Sirius completely and turned to Albus. "I don't understand, headmaster. Why the sudden move?" he asked, his facial expression still grim and uncaring. "I have not heard anything from my sources about an attack on Potter or the Weasleys. Is this really necessary?"

"I agree with Snape's concern on this matter. I'm sure you have your reasons Albus for the move, but surely the Potter boy would be safer here at Hogwarts or even these headquarters than in the middle of London at a location that is currently unwarded," volunteered Moody. "Can we not simply transfer the boy here?"

"No, I'm afraid not. It is imperative that Harry is moved to a non-magical location. I understand your hesitation about all of this and I assure you that I will be putting wards in place directly following this meeting myself," added Albus. "They will not be as strong as the ones at Hogwarts or the blood protection Harry had living with his relatives, but it should ward off danger long enough to get Harry out of there should an emergency arise."

"But why the move?" asked Shacklebolt, joining the dissention.

"If Harry had some sort of blood protection at the Dursleys, why not send him back there. That location is non-magical. For that matter, why did you take him from there in the first place?" asked Moody, looking quite skeptical that any of this would work.

There was a murmur of consent around the room from the rest of the Order. Arthur could understand their hesitation on all of this. Without knowing about Harry's past, this temporary move seemed dangerous and unnecessary.

Dumbledore had a habit of keeping the members of the Order on a need to know basis, mainly because this ensured that no one besides himself knew everything going on in the Order. It prevented the risk of information being lost should one of them be captured and tortured for information. Past wars had taught him that much. Everyone in the Order trusted Dumbledore implicitly, so the secrecy had never been a problem before. However, without the details about why they had to temporarily move Harry, this mission sounded more like a needless risk than anything else.

Only Arthur, Molly, Sirius, Remus, Tonks, and Dumbledore truly knew what was going on. Although Shacklebolt, Moody, and several other Order members had been a part of the mission to rescue Harry from the Muggle hospital, they had not been privy to the details. They had only been told that Harry had been in a car accident and that needed to be removed from the hospital, but they had not known any of the other reasons for his stay. Nor did they know about Harry's past with his relatives.

Albus sighed quietly and said, "I do not wish to disclose that information at this time… this mission must still take place… "

"Forgive me, Albus, for being so bold, but I feel that it is necessary to have that information should this mission go sour," Moody tried to reason. "Constant vigilance means knowing all the facts."

"I assure you that all will go well if we stick to the plan, Alastor," Dumbledore said firmly, growing irritated that the former Auror was not willing to accept his plan as is. "Remember, you will all be equipped with an emergency portkey should anything go wrong."

Dumbledore was about to speak again, when Remus put his hand on his arm, "Sir, maybe we should tell them the truth about the mission. It does seem unnecessary without knowing the facts. I trust them not to disclose this information and it would help garner their help…they could all take a Wizard's Oath…"

"Perhaps you are right…" Albus said quietly.

"Wait a minute, you can't just decide this without Harry's permission," Sirius argued.

The rest of the Order looked on as Sirius, Remus, and Albus tried to silently decide what they were going to do about the situation.

Arthur was thoughtful for a few moments, but finally decided that he needed to say something. "It's alright, Albus… I know Harry won't like it, but it seems necessary… tell them what they need to know…"

"Are you sure, Arthur?" Dumbledore asked, looking to Harry's current guardian instead of his godfather to help him decide what to do.

Arthur nodded, earning a rather distasteful look from Sirius, who was now sitting back and scowling.

"First I must ask you all to take a Wizard's Oath that you will not tell another soul as to what you are about to hear," said Albus.

Without hesitation, each order member retrieved their wand, crossed their arm over their chest so that the wand tip touched their left shoulder. Each one mumbled, "_I swear onto thee not disclose to anyone what I'm about to hear…"_ and then extended their arm and pointed it towards Dumbledore. A soft blue light emerged from each of their wands and floated across the room faded into Albus' dark purple robes, where his heart would be.

"Thank you…" Albus then began his long explanation, occasionally pausing so that the information could sink in. "I will not go into all the details, so please do not ask… Harry was recently in the care of a Muggle hospital because of injuries that he sustained in a drunk driving accident involving his uncle. It was there that it was discovered that Harry had numerous injuries that could not be explained away by the accident. Muggle authorities were called and Harry was to be sent to a Children's Home, pending an investigation. Luckily we were informed of the situation and were able to remove Harry from the Muggles' care and returned him to safety. After much contemplation we were able to encourage Harry to testify against his uncle… in order to do so, a home visit must be conducted by a Muggle social worker, which is why we are temporarily locating him to Tonk's flat in London…"

"If Potter is testifying against his uncle, that must mean Vernon Dursley was brought up on charges. What are they?" asked Moody.

Albus sighed, knowing that he would not be able to avoid this question. "Driving while intoxicated… and child abuse and severe neglect…"

A collective gasp went around the room as everyone stared at Dumbledore in shock. No one wanted to believe that this had happened to Harry Potter. Arthur noticed how uneasy Remus and Sirius were and couldn't help but feel a little ill himself. He hated having to betray Harry's trust, but there had simply been no other way.

The meeting ended shortly afterward. Once everyone received their assignment for the mission, they either flooed or Disapparated from the room, returning to their normal lives once again. Each one knew now how important tomorrow's mission would be, and they were eager to be apart of it. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement between them that they would do everything in their power to their savior, the Boy-Who-Lived, seek justice upon a Muggle who had harmed him.

Soon only a few people were left in the dank kitchen basement. Snape quietly pulled Arthur aside after the meeting. Arthur couldn't help but notice the unusual look on Snape's face. It was almost as if his features were struggling with what he had just heard and trying desperately to show no emotion. "So it's true? Potter was abused by his relatives?" he asked, seeming utterly surprised.

Arthur nodded. "Yes, unfortunately it's true."

"So those potions Poppy needed for Potter were for… but I thought they were because of the injuries he sustained in the accident… but must have been for… his relatives _abused_ him?" Snape asked again. Arthur could not remember a time in which he had ever seen Snape stumble over his words in such a manner.

"Yes!" Arthur said firmly, becoming annoyed with this man's question. "Is it so hard for you to believe that Harry's life is less than perfect? I'm sorry if he doesn't fit some perfect mold you have put in him into, but I assure you he has had a horrible childhood. Maybe you will think twice before you ever decide to belittle him in class again. He's already gotten enough of it from his relatives."

And with that, Arthur turned away from Snape in disgust, leaving a very confused man to sort out his thoughts.

* * *

Ron listened quietly as Harry explained the conversation that he had with Sirius that morning. They had long since finished their game of Exploding Snape, and deck of cards had since been put aside. Although he was a skilled chess master, Ron wasn't very lucky in cards. Harry had thoroughly trounced Ron several times that afternoon, but he didn't mind too much. It had been good to see Harry so carefree again and laughing the way he used to. He didn't do that as much anymore. 

The pair was sitting beside one another on the floor of Ron's bedroom; their back's resting against his bed, enjoying each other's presence. Their shoulders occasionally rubbing up against the other as they talked and Ron felt tingly each time they touched.

Because of their close proximity to each other, Ron was able to observe his friend without it seeming awkward. Harry seemed just so small beside him. He couldn't get over it. Since they left school in June, Ron had grown considerably taller in comparison to Harry. He was already a head taller than him and had begun to fill out a little more as well. Thankfully, Ron was no longer the lanky, awkward adolescent. Harry, however, was yet to hit a growth spurt. He looked much younger than he really was and Ron knew without a doubt that the severe malnutrition he suffered throughout his childhood was undoubtedly the cause.

"So Snape is really going to give you Occlumency lessons?" Ron asked again, not really believing that Dumbledore would do something so cruel to Harry.

"Yeah," he replied, his voice sounding quite dejected.

"But this is a good thing, right? At least you won't have visions anymore…" Ron said, trying to be positive. He knew in his heart that it wouldn't make a difference what he said, Harry would still have to face that horrible man, but he tried nonetheless.

"I guess…I think I would almost rather have the visions then face Snape…"

"Sorry, mate, doesn't sound like fun…"

"Tell me about it," Harry replied sarcastically.

There was a sudden lull in the conversation and Ron felt Harry tense somewhat beside him. Observing his small friend in his peripheral vision, he could see Harry worry his lip thoughtfully as he used his finger to trace one of the patterns on the old worn rug they were sitting on. It seemed to be a bit of a nervous habit for Harry, pulling at loose strings or tracing things with his fingers when he was anxious.

Although Harry never said much about it, Ron knew that he was worried about the upcoming trial and having to give his testimony. That combined with the vision he had the last night was really taking a toll on his best mate. He seemed to be thinking about all of it now and Ron instinctively wanted to comfort him somehow.

Hoping to ease whatever was bothering Harry at the moment, the red head slowly was slid his hand over to Harry's. He paused momentarily as he watched Harry continue to trace the pattern and then reached for the small pale hand and took it in his own. Ron gave it a bit of squeeze and looked over at him.

Harry looked down and smiled at their entwined hands. He snuck a sly glance at Ron, before turning his head away again shaking his head as if he was trying hard to understand something.

"What is it?" Ron asked.

"I always thought you liked Hermione," Harry said quietly.

"I told you before that I didn't…" Ron reminded him. They had already had this conversation Harry's first night here at the Burrow.

"Are you sure? You don't like her at least a little bit?"

Ron chuckled at the thought. Hermione was truly one of his best friends, but he couldn't even stomach the thought of kissing her. It would be just too weird; like kissing his sister. He shook his head quickly to clear the thoughts. "No way… what made you think that?" Ron asked.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. I just have a hard time believing that you and I are sitting here holding hands. I've always thought that you liked Hermione. And I guess there was that whole Yule Ball thing last year… you seemed pretty upset that she decided to go with Viktor Krum instead of you," he replied.

Ron remembered feeling particularly jealous back then, even though he had told Harry once before that he hadn't been. Ron wasn't sure he could tell Harry exactly the reasons why he had reacted the way he did back then. He only just now understood the crush he had had on Viktor. This was getting a little weird for Ron now. He suddenly felt the need to steer the subject matter another direction.

"Yeah, well I always thought you liked Cho... well, maybe you really did... or still do… do you still like Cho?" Ron asked, feeling a little unsure of himself as he stumbled over his words.

Harry shook his head. "I d-don't like Cho, Ron… I thought I did for awhile, but once I got to know her a bit last year, I decided it was just a silly crush. She's just so… I don't know… exotic, I guess… it doesn't matter now…"

"I can understand…" Ron said quietly, wondering if he should reveal his own hidden feelings about a past crush.

"It's not like she really liked me anyway," Harry muttered.

Ron wanted to strongly disagree. He had seen how Cho had looked at him all last year, even if she had been seeing someone else. And was worried about how she might come on to Harry next year. "Oh I don't know about that… at least now you won't have to compete for her attention…" he said sarcastically, hoping that Harry would deny that he wanted anything to do with her.

Harry blanched visibly at Ron's words and pulled his hand away. Ron quickly realized the horrible thing he had just said. Appalled at his own stupidity, Ron quickly said, "Oh gods, Harry, I'm sorry… I wasn't even thinking…"

"It's o-okay…" Harry stammered, looking rather upset just now.

Ron was beginning to panic a bit. Things had been going so well between them and now he had said something incredibly stupid. Why did he have to bring up Cedric's death again? "No, it's not okay… I'm really sorry, Harry. I don't even know why I said that… well, maybe I do… _I'm such an idiot_!"

"Why?"

"Why what? Why am I an idiot? We could be here for hours on that one…"

"No, why did you say that?" Harry asked, the hurt evident in his eyes.

Ron took a deep breath and hoped that these next words would help repair some of the damage he had done. "I said that horrible thing about Cho… because well… I'm worried about what's going to happen to us when we go back to Hogwarts," he said softly. "I wanted to know if you truly didn't like her anymore. That I mean more than that…"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… I don't know what I mean… What is going to happen to us? There is an _us_, right?"

Harry looked away and whispered. "I d-don't know, Ron…"

Ron wasn't sure if he heard Harry or not correctly. "You don't know?"

Harry nodded solemnly.

"What do you mean you don't know? I thought you liked me?" he asked, his voice starting to rise in frustration.

"I do like you… more than just a friend, but I'm confused about all of this…" Harry confessed. He brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.

"What is there to be confused about?"

Harry rolled his eyes in frustration. "Everything Ron! The fact that both of us are b-boys and that we've been kissing… doesn't that strike you as the least b-bit odd!"

"It's not odd, Harry… it just means that we're gay…" he said softly.

"Don't s-say it like that!" Harry suddenly shouted, scooting away from Ron.

"Say what? Gay? It's no big deal… are you embarrassed?"

"Of course I am, Ron… it's just not right! Boys aren't supposed to like boys! I d-don't even understand it all!"

"What do you mean it's not right?" Ron asked curiously. It certainly felt right to him. Didn't Harry feel the same way? Was he forcing him into all of this?

Harry growled in annoyance and stood up quickly. "Ron you just don't understand!"

"What don't I understand?" Ron asked, standing up beside him, feeling rather annoyed at this point.

He reached out to Harry, only have him twist out of his arms and run to the door.

"Wait!" Ron called after him, but it was no use. Harry was already running downstairs and was probably heading outdoors.

"He's got to stop doing that!" Ron said aloud to no one, as he quickly followed.

Luckily, Ron didn't run into any of siblings on the way down. He spotted his mother in the kitchen and was about to ask her where Harry went, feeling a sense of déjà vu. She merely pointed outside without saying a word.

Stepping outside, Ron quickly scanned the garden looking for Harry. When he saw no sign of him he could think of only one place Harry could be. Ron headed towards the shed and found the door swinging on its hinges as if someone had recently open and closed it.

He quickly reached the dilapidated little building and peered inside. Harry was pacing back and forth in the dim light, which was kind of funny to see since he could cross the entire room in a couple of strides. He looked like he was turning around in circles more than anything else.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked, standing in the doorway with his arms crossed. He didn't particularly enjoy being in here, and it wasn't just the spiders. The whole place creeped him out endlessly. Why Harry found comfort in here is something he would never truly understand.

Harry's eyes were somewhat glassy when he finally stopped pacing and turned to face Ron. "We c-can't do this, Ron… we can't be together. It isn't right!"

"Why not?" Ron asked, stepping finally inside and allowing the door to close behind him.

"Because it's just not…"

"Explain what you mean! I don't understand, Harry," Ron demanded.

"Ron, I don't know what it's like in the wizarding world, but the way I was raised by the… Dur-Muggles… well, I was taught that being gay is a sin… something to be shunned… "

"Harry, it's not like that in the wizarding world…"

"It's not?" asked Harry, looking thoroughly shocked.

"No."

"Do you know any other gay wizards or witches?"

"Well, no…" Ron admitted.

"Then how do you know?" Harry demanded.

Ron rolled his eyes and said, "I just do… listen, I'm not saying that everyone is open to homosexuals in the wizarding world, but as a culture we are much more accepting than Muggles. We would have to be in order deal with house elves, goblins, trolls, and other magical creatures living among us. There is always going to be someone who is against gay people. That will never change…"

"You think our world is _accepting_?" Harry asked in disbelief. " W-what about the way they've treated Remus?"

"That's different Harry. They think that he's a dangerous creature…"

Harry began pacing back and forth again, beginning to ramble now. "But still… how do you know that people aren't g-going to hate us Ron? I lived my whole life being hated and I don't want to live like that again… gods, imagine if your family knew… w-what w-would they think of me?"

Ron smiled suddenly, knowing he knew the perfect thing to make Harry feel better. "It's okay, Mum knows…"

"You told her!" Harry said exasperatedly, stopping in his tracks.

Ron shook his head. "No, I didn't tell her. She just sort of figured it out!"

"How?"

"I don't know… she just does that sort of thing…"

"Well, what did she say?" Harry asked curiously.

"She was fine with it. I was really surprised too; she tends to be a bit on the conservative side. We had never talked about anything like that before so I didn't know what to expect, but it went well. She's happy for us," said Ron.

"Really?"

"Really."

Harry seemed thoughtful for a few moments as he took it all in. "What about the rest of your family?"

"They don't know… at least I don't think they do. And I don't really want to tell them all just yet. Fred and George would tease us mercilessly. And poor Ginny… I think she had her heart settled on marrying you someday."

Harry's eyes grew wide at the implication. "What? Really?"

Ron nodded and gave him a mischievous look. "Oh yeah… she's got it bad for you. I feel sort of awful stealing you away."

"Well, I'm glad that you did…" Harry said softly, smiling up at him now.

"Me too…"

"So are we okay?" Ron asked seriously, stepping towards Harry.

"Yeah, I guess we're okay… sorry for freaking out. I still don't understand any of this…" Harry admitted. "I'm kind of uncomfortable with people knowing about us. Is that okay?"

"It's okay," Ron said, pulling Harry into a reassuring hug.

"Can we keep us a secret for a while?" Harry whispered into his chest, as he wrapped his arms around him.

Ron kissed him on top of his head and said, "That's fine with me."

"What about Hermione?"

Ron sighed, knowing how difficult that conversation would be. "I suppose we'll have to tell her eventually…"

"I don't want to tell her just yet…"

"Why not?" Ron asked curiously.

"Well, she's a Muggleborn… and if she was raised anything like me than she is not going to approve of our relationship…" Harry said matter-of-factly.

Ron shook his head in disagreement, remembering how much she had been an advocate for house elf and werewolf rights. Somehow he just knew she would be understanding. "I think she'll be okay with it…"

"You think so?"

"Yeah, but we don't have to tell her just yet…"

"Okay…"

Ron pulled back from Harry and lifted his face with his hands. He then bent down and kissed his lips, allowing himself to linger there for a few moments before he said one final thing to his love.

"Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Promise me one thing…" Ron said in a very serious sounding tone.

"What's that?" Harry asked, looking a bit nervous

"That you'll stop running away from me when you're upset! You're mighty hard to catch…" Ron said jokingly.

Harry laughed and shoved him away playfully. "Oh yeah, I'll show you hard to catch…" he said in a good-natured tone. "Catch me if you can!"

Before Ron could realize what was going on, Harry had run out of the shed and was sprinting across the field.

"Oh no you don't! Get back here!" Ron demanded, chasing after him.

Harry darted into the orchard behind the back of the house and hid behind the trees seeking cover. Ron's long legs caught up to him quickly and he chased Harry around a few of the trees. They looked like they were playing a game of tag the way they were carrying on. Before Harry could get away from him again, Ron launched himself at his small friend and tackled him to the ground.

"Oof!" Harry said, as Ron landed on top of him.

"What did I say about running away!" Ron asked cheerfully as he straddled Harry's waist and pinned his hands against the ground on either side of his head.

"Um… not too?" Harry asked innocently, as he peered up into Ron's face.

"That's right, and now you have to pay the price!"

"What-" Harry began to ask, but his voice caught off when Ron suddenly pressed his lips against his.

It was a passionate kiss, more passionate then they had ever experienced before. Ron's tongue pushed gently but insistently at Harry's lips asking for entrance, and Harry parted his lips in response. As their tongues battled for dominance their hands were roaming around, each exploring the other's body. Ron tangled his hands in Harry's hair and pulled away slightly before proceeding to plant gentle kisses down one side of Harry's neck and back up the other before taking Harry's lower lip in his teeth and pulling gently. Harry gasped, his hands creeping under the bottom of Ron's t-shirt and stroking small circles on his back.

Nothing else mattered right now then being together. It was if the rest of the world had disappeared and all that remained was Harry and Ron and the pleasure they were given each other through their kisses.

It was heaven.

After a long while, Ron pulled back, knowing that they couldn't take things much farther, at least not this soon in their relationship. He pulled Harry up to a seated position and kissed him once more.

"So does this mean we're together?" Ron asked.

"You mean together together? Like boyfriend and er… boyfriend?"

"Yeah…"

"I guess so…" Harry said with a smile, his lips now swollen and red.

"Good."

"Good."

They both had ridiculous smiles on their faces as they thought about the implications of what all that meant. They were flying on cloud nine. It seemed like nothing in the world could disturb their happiness. Or could it?

* * *

A/N: Hey everyone… I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It was a bit of a transitional chapter, but it did give me a chance to highlight some scenes with the Weasleys, which you all seem to love, and to explore the beginnings of Harry and Ron's relationship. Isn't it cute how unsure they are with each other and how inexperienced they both are? 

A/N2:The Wizard's Oath was something I thought of before HBP came out. Any similarities between the spell and the Unbreakable Vow in the canon is merely a coincidence.

A/N3: I love all the new reviewers I have been getting, but what happened to my old, faithful ones? I hope my lack of updates hasn't discouraged any of you from reading this story. Please review and let me know if you think of the story line thus far.


	17. Masquerade

**Chapter 17- Masquerade**

As daylight broke, Molly sat alone at her lovely worn kitchen table and felt the weight of the importance of today's mission sit heavy in her heart. Nobody wanted to put Harry through such an ordeal, but it had been deemed necessary… a means to an end, of which they had no way of knowing the outcome.

As Molly sipped her chamomile tea, her favorite, she thought about the small dark haired boy sleeping upstairs. Some how or another she had grown to love him like a son, and she felt an intense need to see to his well being, whether it was feeding him a proper meal or giving him a much needed hug. All of her motherly instincts seemed to kick into overdrive when ever Harry was around.

When she contemplated just how small and fragile he seemed to be, it was hard to believe that he had already faced overwhelming adversity so many times in his short young life. But he certainly had… with a level of bravery and acceptance that she would expect to find only in adults. It sometimes amazed her to see how well Harry had turned out considering the awful circumstances of his childhood.

And it wasn't until she looked into his hauntingly beautiful green eyes, his mother's eyes they say, that she truly understood that an old soul lay behind his youthful features.

Harry was such a remarkable young man and she was glad that they were able to offer him a home when he had no where else to turn. They had taken Harry under their wing without any regard to their own personal safety, knowing that in caring for the complicated boy they put their own lives at great risk. The dark wizard they had long feared had returned to power and had placed a heavy price on the young teenager's head. After all the poor boy had been through, it seemed he was undeniably destined for a great deal more. But Harry wouldn't be alone… never alone again… Molly would see to that.

As much as she wanted to protect him, she knew in her heart he was meant for great things. He _was_ Harry Potter, after all. He was a child of circumstance, who had accepted his cruel fate and had found ways to survive even in the direst situations he found himself in. She feared, as any mother might, that he had not yet seen the end of these happenstance adventures or his repeated encounters with the darkest wizard their world had ever seen.

And she knew that her youngest son, her Ronnie, would be by his side through it all… had been by his side… for that was their fate. Molly knew this truth as well as she knew her very soul. They were kindred spirits… soul mates in so many ways. Their love for each other would grow over time in ways neither boy would ever fully understand. She had always been intuitive about these things, whether it was a magical gift or the knowledge gained from raising seven children she did not know, but Molly knew in her heart what lie in the future for these young men, whether she liked it or not.

It did not bother her in the slightest that Ron and Harry were currently sleeping in the same room together, possibly in the same bed. She knew enough to know that they weren't ready for such complicated matters of the heart, that their intimacy was still tenuous at best. She would intervene if necessary when the time came, but for now she would allow them their peace… to explore their awkward beginnings of a relationship without any interference.

Molly sipped her tea again slowly as she watched the scenery outside her small home come alive with the rising sun. As she did so, she felt the presence of her childhood sweetheart at the foot of the stairs behind her.

"Hey there, Molly Lou," a voice called.

She grinned shyly at her pet name and waited for her love to come nearer. A warm hand was suddenly placed on her shoulder and she turned her face upwards to greet her husband's lips. She kissed him softly and then returned to her tea, smiling behind her mug.

Their love for each other was quite special and unique in its own way. They could communicate a thousand words through subtle nonverbal cues, and they knew when to push each other and when to pull away. Their love was a gentle kind of love, born of years of hardship and familiarity, and solidified about their undying faithfulness and devotion.

"You're up awfully early," said Arthur, sitting down beside her. "Couldn't you sleep?"

Molly noticed that he was dressed in his Muggle clothing for today's mission. She thought that the pair of jeans and the button down shirt that he donned looked peculiar, but she trusted he knew better than anyone what Muggles wore nowadays.

"Not really," she replied truthfully. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

She knew what a light sleeper her husband was and that he never seemed able to sleep without her beside him. They were both alike in that sense. They were still so close even after all these years that the other knew when their spouse's presence was missing and would wake instinctively. Since their wedding so many years ago they had never slept a single night apart.

"It's alright. I needed to get up anyway. Big day today," Arthur replied.

Molly nodded, but found no words to respond. Sensing her tension he asked, "You're not worried about today, are you?"

She looked at him incredulously, not knowing if he was being sarcastic or playful this early in the morning. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be? Aren't you?"

"Yes, I suppose I am a bit worried, but I'm sure everything will be fine," he said reassuringly, taking her hand into his own. "Right?"

"You're right. Everything will be fine," she repeated, hoping that if she said it aloud it would make it so.

Apparently sensing that she was still ill at ease, Arthur raised her hand to his lips he gently kissed the wrinkled skin on the back of it. He then held her hand against his chest where his heart would be. He had always done this, ever since their first date so long ago and the simple act always reaffirmed their feelings for one another. Her heart melted each time he did it.

Her hand eventually slipped away from his and grew cold from the loss of contact. Even after all the reassurance, Molly couldn't help but agonize about the outcome of all of this.

"Do you think Harry will be okay when this is all over?"

"I don't know… even if he isn't, he'll still have us…" Arthur replied.

She nodded, knowing that was true. Even if they weren't granted guardianship of Harry and he was sent to live with his godfather, he would still have a place in their hearts. He would always be an honorary Weasley, even if he didn't have the red hair and freckles to match.

Arthur stood up reluctantly and patted her shoulder once more. "I must go now, love. Dumbledore wanted me to do a surveillance sweep of the area once the Order is in place before I bring you all there."

Molly nodded, fully aware of each aspect of today's mission. "How long before we leave?" she asked worriedly.

"An hour… maybe more."

She nodded and took a deep breath, knowing that they could no longer postpone the inevitable. She stood up from the table and said, "I'll get the boys ready."

"See you soon," Arthur replied, kissing her forehead before he turned towards the door.

Molly watched as he crossed the garden to the boundary of the wards that prevented apparition anywhere near the house. When he reached the outer wards he waved goodbye, knowing she would watch him until he was gone, and Disapparated.

She then rinsed her mug in the sink and turned towards the stairs to wake the boys. Before she could reach her destination, however, a swirling mass of green flames filled the kitchen fireplace. Soon a tall long haired man carrying a faded old knapsack was stepping over the hearth into the kitchen.

"Bill!" Molly exclaimed, rushing to her son's side.

"Hey Mum," Bill said with an easy smile, as he set his knapsack down and brushed the soot off of his clothing.

Molly seized him before he could finish his grooming, squeezing Bill with all of her might so that she might express how grateful she was that he had returned home again. She then stood on her tiptoes to give her eldest son a kiss.

"How are you dear?" she asked. As she pulled back, she carefully looked him over once more to make sure that he was taking care of himself, trying not to be to obvious about it. She made sure not to let her eyes linger for too long on that hideous earring or the fact that his long hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She would save that conversation for later.

"I'm fine Mum... you act like you haven't seen me since I got back. I was just here for dinner yesterday," Bill complained, as he swatted her away playfully.

Molly sighed, knowing that none of her children would ever understand how she worried about them until they had children of their own. It didn't matter that she had just seen him last night; she had gone months without ever laying eyes on him at all.

"Well, I'm glad you're here, we'll be leaving in the hour," she said briskly, to show that she wasn't hurt by his comment.

"I know, Mum, that's why I came," Bill replied in annoyance, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"Don't take that tone with me, young man. I know you are aware of the details for today, I was just making conversation," she scolded.

Bill looked up at her, properly cowed. "Sorry, I'm just a little cranky this morning from having to get up so early." He then rubbed his eyes as if to prove he was still rather tired.

Molly shook her head in a mother's knows best kind of way and clucked her tongue in dissatisfaction. "I still don't see why you couldn't have stayed the night yesterday. Then you wouldn't have had to get up so early."

Bill smiled at her patiently. "I wanted to get settled in at headquarters. I'm only staying here a few days to look after the twins and Ginny while you're away. After that I'm going back to Grimmauld Place in London."

"But I don't see why you can't-" Molly began.

"I'm sorry Mum. I understand that you want me home at the Burrow, but I like being on my own. I know Sirius doesn't mind me staying there for a while, but when I have the time I'm going to try to find a flat or something," said Bill in a determined tone.

Molly wanted to say something more, but she knew to leave well enough alone. Bill was a grown man now and was free to make his own decisions. Even if those decisions broke his poor mother's heart.

She suddenly remembered that she was going to wake Ron and Harry to get ready, but then she realized that her family would all need a good breakfast before she left today. She decided to work on that first instead. Goodness knows how they were going to survive while she was gone, even with all the prepared meals she had the sense to leave in the cold storage box. The least she could do was to feed them up this morning. Molly turned her attention away from Bill and set about whipping something up for them eat. She decided on a simple meal of toast and eggs because of Harry's still delicate stomach. Bacon would probably be a little to heavy for him just yet.

"So how is Harry anyway?" Bill asked, leaning back in his chair, as she gathered what she needed for breakfast. "He seemed quieter than I remembered him at dinner last night."

Molly paused for a moment as she contemplated his question. She knew that everyone in the Order now knew about Harry's past from her conversation with Arthur last night. She had not been happy with his decision at first, but had later accepted the fact that he would not have given his permission to such a breech in confidence had he not felt it necessary.

"He'll be alright when this is all over," she said quietly, hoping to end the matter quickly. Molly didn't want break Harry's trust as well… especially since he seemed so hesitant to trust anyone with personal information these days.

Turning away from him, she began expertly cracking several eggs into a large bowl. She added a little milk and then quickly whisked the mixture together. When it reached the right consistency, she poured it into a large pan and spelled a spoon to stir it occasionally so that eggs would scramble as they cooked.

Bill looked like he wanted to question her on the matter further, but kept whatever he was going to say to himself. Sensing that she needed to steer the conversation in another direction, she quickly thought about something else they could talk about.

"You missed Charlie you know. He was here last week for Harry's birthday," Molly called over her shoulder as she used her wand to charm the toaster. The fastest way to end an unwanted conversation was to direct some sort of guilt trip onto someone else. It was a handy technique that she had perfected over the years.

Bill groaned, clearly becoming annoyed with his mother. "I know Mum, but I couldn't get away any earlier or else I would have been here."

"I just wish I could have all my boys home at the same time for a change," she said with a sigh. It was silent for a few moments, as Molly again thought about Charlie being so far from home.

"Maybe Charlie will come home again soon. And if not, there's a chance he can get away at Christmas," he offered.

She stacked the toast that was ready on to a plate and spooned the eggs into a large bowl, making sure to prepare a plate first for her Bill.

"You really think so?" she asked, as she set a plate of toast and eggs in front of him. Beside it she placed a cup of hot tea, sweetened with honey the just the way he liked it.

Bill smiled at her gratefully for the breakfast. "He said as much in his last letter," he said as he shoved a forkful of eggs to his mouth.

"Do you two keep in touch?" she asked, setting the food that was ready on the table and preparing to make some more, knowing that she had several mouths to feed this morning.

"Of course. Someone has to look after him, crazy bloke thinks it's normal to want to play with dragons…" he muttered.

"Well, I'm glad. I hate to think about this family scattering to the four winds never to talk to one another again," she said miserably.

Bill looked up at her, clearly understanding what she was alluding to. "Percy will come to his senses eventually," he said softly.

"I hope so," she replied. "Well, eat up. I'm going to go wake the others. They should be down in a minute. Let me know if your father returns and keep an eye on those eggs on the stove. I don't want them burning."

"Will do," he said as he saluted his mother. He then shoveled another forkful of eggs in his mouth and gave her a playful grin. Like all her children, Bill was always in a better mood in the morning once he had eaten.

Molly climbed the stairs, stopping at each landing to knock on her children's doors to wake them up. It didn't take much to rouse them this morning, despite the early hour. The smell of breakfast rising from the kitchen was always enough to get them up and moving.

The twins and Ginny were already plodding downstairs in their pajamas as she continued her ascent upstairs to wake Harry and Ron. She knocked first, not wanting to disturb their privacy, but when she didn't hear an answer she decided to step inside.

The sight that greeted her was surprising, but not unexpected. Curled up beside Ron on the bed was Harry. Molly knew she should probably feel upset about this situation, but she couldn't help but find the scene to be very sweet. Harry's dark messy head was resting on Ron's chest and their legs were entangled together. It seemed innocent enough; despite the fact Ron had his arms wrapped around the smaller boy. They were still fully clothed, thank goodness, and they were even lying on top of the covers. But still she wondered about their growing intimacy and what it might mean. How soon would she have to step in between these two to make sure they weren't moving too fast?

Molly knew that if she woke them now that it would only embarrass them, regardless of her reassurance to Ron that she approved of their relationship. She decided to leave them their dignity and stepped back out of the room.

This time she pounded on the door much more loudly and yelled, "Ronald! Harry! You get up this instant. We have a busy day today!"

From the other side of the door she heard a muffled sound and a yelp of surprise. It sounded as if one of them, presumably Harry and fallen out of bed and had hit the floor. Then there was a hurried rustling sound as they each dived under the covers in opposite beds to avoid being discovered in their compromising position.

"Ron, did you hear me?" she yelled once more as she opened the door. Once inside she found both boys sitting up in their appropriate beds looking properly tired and quite innocent looking. Overall it was a pretty good act.

"Alright! Alright! We're up…" Ron whined, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Molly gave her son a knowingly look and he blushed deeply under her gaze. She glanced over at Harry and found him to be twisting the covers nervously in his hands. Not wanting him to feel any more anxiety she quickly made her little speech.

"Good… breakfast is downstairs waiting for you. Be sure to get dressed before you come down. Remember, Muggle clothing only." Looking around she noticed Harry's trunk and several boxes of Ron's things in the corner of the room. "Is this everything you're taking to the flat?" she asked.

Ron and Harry nodded mutely. Pulling out her wand, Molly cast a shrinking spell on them and then deposited the now shrunken trunk and boxes into the pocket of her robe.

"I'll see you downstairs in a few minutes. Don't dawdle!" she warned. "We're leaving in half an hour!"

The boys nodded again and slowly got out of bed so that they may get dressed. Seeing that the situation was now taken care of, Molly went to her own room so that she could change as well. Walking towards her wardrobe, she heard the magical wall mirror say, "My, my… look at those lines on your face, dear. What's got you worried so?"

Ignoring the mirror's taunts, she thought, "_You have no idea…"_

Molly then pulled off her robe, dressed in her Muggle clothes for the day, and made sure to retrieve Harry and Ron's things from her pocket. Running her fingers through her hair she made a silent prayer to whoever was listening that everything would go well.

* * *

Minutes later Harry and Ron found themselves walking downstairs to breakfast. They shared a brief, yet daring kiss, on the second landing of the stairs before they descended the rest of the way to the kitchen, relishing their secret relationship. When they reached the bottom they discovered that Ginny, Bill, and the twins were already seated, munching away on their toast and looking very sleepy still at this early hour. 

"Well, good morning littlest brother," said Bill with a genuine smile. "Come have some breakfast. You've got a big day today." He quickly dished up some eggs and tossed a piece of toast onto a plate and held it out to them.

"Thanks," said Ron, attempting to grab the plate from Bill.

Much to his surprise, the plate was yanked out of reach and Bill said, "I was talking to Harry."

"Oh," Harry replied, nervously making a side long glance at Ron before taking the plate and sitting down. "Th-thanks."

Ron gave his brother a dirty look and served up some food of his own before sitting down beside Harry. He didn't like Harry being referred to as one of their brothers, honorary or not, just because he was part of the family now. The thought of it was just too weird for Ron to handle in light of their new relationship. He knew Bill meant well by the comment and decided not to dwell on it if possible.

He quickly dug in, relishing the taste of his mum's eggs. Food always made him feel better. He had gotten through half of his plate before he noticed Harry had yet to touch his own. He was going to ask why he wasn't eating when he suddenly realized that Harry had not yet taken his potion. He probably wasn't sure if he should attempt eating something or not without taking it. His stomach was still as sensitive as ever, especially after the alcohol incident, even if he didn't talk about it. Ron knew that Harry wouldn't retrieve it himself for fear of drawing any more attention to his condition.

Jumping up Ron said, "Hey Harry, you want some tea?"

"Um, sure…" he replied.

Ron gave him an almost imperceptible wink and quickly moved to the kitchen pantry where retrieved a tea bag and one of Harry's potions. He then poured some hot water from a kettle on the stove into a mug, inserted the tea bag, and set it in front of Harry. "Here you go."

"Thanks," said Harry, who had accepted his little blue potion vial from Ron underneath the table.

Ron returned to his meal and watched Harry out of the corner of his eye. He didn't quite understand why Harry was still so embarrassed about having to take the nutritional potion especially since his siblings probably knew about it by now, but he always gulped it down as quickly and as secretly as possible. Harry waited a few moments until he thought no one was looking and quickly took the potion. He then stashed the vial in his pant pockets and turned to eat his breakfast.

"So are you ready for your big adventure, Ronnie?" asked Fred.

"Yes, are you ready for Muggleville?" George asked.

"It's not an adventure," Ron muttered. "We're going to be cooped up in an apartment while some lady comes for some stupid visit…"

"The way we hear it, this mission is taking all of the Order's resources."

"What about you Harry? Are you ready for your adventure?"

Harry looked up at the twins suddenly as if he hadn't really heard them. "Um, yeah. Sure," he replied softly, as he looked back down at his plate. Ron couldn't help but feel anxious for his friend. Harry had been a little more than preoccupied thinking about what would be happening in the next few days, and Ron didn't feel like he was doing much to help him feel any better.

Fred and George thankfully gave up trying to make conversation with Harry and focused on their meal instead.

A few moments later his mother appeared a foot of the stairs. "I look utterly ridiculous," she announced, glancing down at her Muggle khaki pants and her pale yellow blouse.

"No you don't Mum. You look nice," Ginny insisted. "I think you should wear Muggle clothes more often."

"Well, I _feel_ ridiculous," she muttered. "Is your father here yet?"

"Not yet," replied Bill. Standing up he used his wand to banish the now empty plates to the sink and spelled them to start doing the washing up.

"Oh Bill, thanks, but I can do that," Ron's mum began, seeing that his household charms weren't quite as refined as hers. It probably ailed her to see the plates now clattering against each other in the sink. She had a certain way of doing things and she never deviated from her routine.

"No, it's alright. I'm going to be taking care of things around here anyway. Might as well start now," he explained.

"Thanks," she said softly, still looking a little unsure about the whole situation.

Several minutes later the fireplace was filled with green flames and Ron's father entered the kitchen, closely followed by Madam Pomfrey. Ron almost didn't recognize the witch because her hair was done differently and she wasn't wearing her standard robes that signified her as a healer. Instead she was wearing casual green robes that seemed to suit her nicely. It was certainly surprising to see the school nurse outside of Hogwarts in any case. He wondered what role she would play in today's mission, especially since Ron didn't think she was a member of the Order.

"Everyone is in place, but we're a few minutes behind schedule. Once Harry here is ready and we get word from Sirius that we have the all clear, we'll be on our way," said Arthur.

Ron was surprised to see his father in "normal" looking Muggle clothing. He had looked alright when they had first gone to get Harry from the hospital, but usually he wore the oddest combinations. Today, however, he was wearing a brown business suit with a crisp white shirt and a brown patterned necktie. He looked very much the part of a Muggle businessman. Maybe his father had finally got around to closely observing the culture he adored so much and decided to dress accordingly.

"Follow me Mr. Potter," said Madam Pomfrey, leading Harry into the living room.

Harry gave Ron a curious look and he shrugged his shoulders back in response. He had no idea why she was here either. Ron followed closed behind ignoring the pointed look the school nurse gave him when she realized he wasn't about to leave her patient.

"How are you?" she asked, visually looking him over.

"Fine," Harry muttered.

"Any aches or pains?"

"No."

"Have you been taking your nutritional potion with every meal?"

"Yes."

Nodding, Madame Pomfrey then cast a spell in the air that gave Harry's vitals. She stared at the odd symbols and letters for a moment and then nodded. "Everything seems fairly normal. You've even managed to gain a few pounds. That's good…but there hasn't been any difference in height, I might need to look into that later and change your potion… you're due a growth spurt…"

Ron watched as Harry sighed dejectedly. He knew how much the younger boy hated being so small.

"Okay… have a seat, Mr. Potter and take your sock and shoe off your left foot," she said curtly, as she set her bag of things on the floor and began taking numerous medical looking items out of it.

Harry did as she said, but had a confused look on his face. "Madam Pomfrey is going to magically simulate some of the injuries you had in the accident and bandage you up so that there aren't any questions to why you've healed so fast. Only a few weeks have passed and that isn't enough time for some of your injuries to have been healed," Ron's father explained.

Harry nodded and watched as Madam Pomfrey prepared white strips of cloth in a type of paste. She was making quite a mess in the process and Ron wondered if she had ever done this kind of thing before. She then began wrapping each wet strip around his ankle systematically.

Ron was completely bewildered. "What is that you're putting on his foot?" he asked, not realizing how rude it sounded.

"It's a cast. Muggles can't magically repair bones like we can so they set the broken bone as best they can and then immobilize it in a cast," she explained while she worked. "It's like a type of splint."

"I don't see how that is going to immobilize his foot," he muttered. "It's all mushy."

"It hardens, Ron," Harry said patiently.

"Oh."

Ron's mother had entered the living room and stood beside Harry watching everything closely. "Must it be so thick?" asked Molly, looking at the thick gooey white substance Poppy Pomfrey was wrapping around Harry's ankle.

"I'm afraid so. I know it doesn't make a lot of sense to us, but this is how Muggles stabilize broken bones," replied Poppy. "I had to read up on the subject before coming over here today to make sure I was doing everything properly."

When she was finished Harry's foot and ankle was completely covered in an inch or more of wet gauzy material. It came half way up to his knee and only his toes showed at the bottom. Satisfied with her work she gave it a tap with her wand and it instantly dried, hardening as it did so.

"Can you move your ankle?" Madame Pomfrey asked.

Harry lifted his leg and his face screwed up in effort. "No."

"Good." She then cast a _scourgify_ charm to clean up the mess she had made on the floor. "Be careful not to get that wet. The Weasleys can cast cleansing charms for you until you can shower properly again."

Harry nodded and Ron could feel his irritation growing.

"Next I'm going to cast a glamour on your forehead where you would have had a scar from your stitches. My research showed that they would have been taken out by now, but there might still be some scarring and redness. Hold still," she commanded, raising her wand once again.

A red light shot out of her wand and a thin red line appeared in the middle of Harry's forehead just above his left eyebrow. She studied her handiwork closely for a few moments turning Harry's face in her hands until she finally determined that the illusion was adequate.

"Your bruising would have faded by now so we need not worry about glamours for that."

"Anything else?" Harry asked, sounding hopeful that they might be done.

"Yes, I need to have you take off your shirt…"

Harry startled slightly and looked up at her in shock. "W-why?"

"You had some fractured ribs when I last treated you… if you had been treated by Muggles your ribs would still be tender and require immobilization as well."

"You're not going wrap a cast around my ribs, are you?" he asked. Ron could understand how uncomfortable that might seem.

The nurse shook his head. "No, but I will have to tightly bandage them. I imagine that you will feel a bit stiff, but that will add to the believability of this charade."

Harry was hesitant at first, but he finally pulled his t-shirt over his head and sat up so that Madam Pomfrey could get better access. Ron knew how embarrassing this must be for him. Luckily, Bill had stayed in the kitchen with the others to give Harry some privacy.

Ron sat beside him on the couch, determined to lend his support to the smaller boy, even if it meant being close by. From this vantage point he was able to see the damage to Harry's back more easily. Before Ron had only seen a small section of Harry's lower back under his t-shirt. Now he had a clear view of Harry's back. The faint welts looked worse than when he saw them before. He thought for sure they would have healed by now. Taking a closer look he realized that they were no longer welts like he thought… they were scars. Harry would have to live the rest of his life with the reminder of what his uncle had done to him.

Hatred filled up inside of Ron like he never knew before. He hated that the fact that Harry has had to suffer so. At least now they were taking the steps necessary to ensure that his uncle would pay for what he did to his nephew.

Ron watched as the nurse tightly wrapped thick gauze around his torso making sure that he couldn't move around very much. He noticed his parents watching the scene as well, their faces tight and grim.

"Do I really have to w-wear all of this stuff now?" asked Harry when she was done. He pulled at the gauze on his chest and scratched himself a bit underneath it. "It m-makes me feel all scratchy and uncomfortable."

Ron winced in sympathy and patted his arm.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but it's for the best. Our appointment with your social worker is taking place tomorrow, but we have reason to believe she might try to do a surprise visit sometime today. We need to be ready for anything. Someone from child protective services could be watching the area and we need our story to look convincing as possible," said his father.

Harry nodded and stood up on his casted foot, looking like he felt a little awkward. He took a hesitant step it looked to be quite difficult. "How am I supposed to walk like this?"

Madame Pomfrey pulled something out of her bag and enlarged it. Two wooden crutches appeared in her hand, which she then handed to Harry. "Here you are. Try them out."

Harry took a few passes around the living room and found he could get about quite easily.

"Cool," said Ron. "Can I try?"

"Ron, we don't have time for that," said his father harshly. "We'll be leaving any minute. Do we have everything that is coming with us to the flat?"

"Yes," said his mother, stepping forward with a folded piece of red cloth in her hands. "All the shrunken boxes and things are in this handkerchief."

Ron watched as his father took the handkerchief from his mum and placed it in the breast pocket of his suit.

There was a quiet moment of silence as everyone waited for the sign that everything was ready. Fortunately, they didn't have to wait too long. The green flames arose in the fireplace once more and Sirius stepped out into the kitchen. He quickly passed the Weasley siblings and joined the group in the living room.

"Everyone's in place… it's time," said Sirius, his face looking quite grim as well.

"What's wrong Sirius?" Harry asked.

Ron understood his concern. Everyone was acting so strange today. The move seemed fairly simple when they explained it to them, so why was everyone so worried?

"I just hate to think of you leaving the safety of the Burrow," he admitted.

"Why? What could happen?" Ron asked. Sirius leveled him with a piercing look. "Oh, right…" he then added, remembering how easily Voldemort had gotten a hold of Harry at the end of term.

"But the Order will be watching over us and there are wards around the flat too, right? Dumbledore put them up himself. You said so…" Harry reminded him.

"Yes, but the Burrow is much more secure. I would just rather have you here or with me at headquarters. Don't worry… everything should be alright. I just worry about my only godson," Sirius said, forcing a smile onto his face.

"Is the portkey ready?" asked Arthur.

"I have it right here," said Sirius, holding up a Muggle newspaper. "We should be on our way. They'll be expecting us."

Ron noticed the uneasy look in Harry's eyes and remembered that Harry's last trip using a portkey had led to the death of Cedric Diggory and the rebirth of You-Know-Who. He smiled reassuringly, knowing that Harry probably wouldn't want to be hugged in front of everyone else right now. He would save the hugging for later.

"Alright then, say your goodbyes," said Ron's mother.

"Mum, we're only going to be gone a few days," Ron whined.

"Say your goodbyes, Ronald," she insisted.

"Bye everyone…" he said half-heartedly, waving to his siblings. Harry did the same.

His parents, however, took a great deal longer to say goodbye, making sure to go over every last detail with Bill before they returned to Sirius's side.

"You make sure that my babies are fed while I'm gone. And make sure they do some studying…" Molly called to Bill.

The twins groaned and looked to Bill who was smiling at their mother.

"Ready now?" Sirius asked.

They all nodded.

"Everyone reach out a hand to touch the portkey. Remember, don't let go… one, two, _three_!"

Ron felt a familiar pull on the center of his navel and it felt like he was being pulled forward. Soon the Burrow disappeared in a dizzying blaze of color and the small cramped quarters of Tonk's flat appeared before him.

* * *

Harry awoke the next morning to the sound of Ron twisting about above him. The bunk bed squeaked loudly as Ron shifted his weight back and forth, trying to get comfortable once again. Harry tried to go back to sleep but found that with the incessant squeaking above him that it was nearly impossible. 

"Harry, are you awake?" Ron asked, leaning over the side of his bed and peering down at him from above.

Harry rubbed his eyes tiredly and nodded. "Well I am now. Who can sleep with you moving about like that? You did that all bloody night too."

Ron sat up and jumped down to the floor. He then sat down beside Harry and sighed. "Sorry, couldn't sleep very well for some reason."

Harry nodded in understanding as he sat up as well, which was somewhat difficult to do with his chest still wrapped so tightly. He had had trouble sleeping last night as well. It was partly because he was worried about today and partly because he had grown used to sleeping beside Ron. He had missed his comfort last night. At least he didn't have any more nightmares… or visions.

They exchanged a brief kiss, ignoring the fact that they both had morning breath.

"You wanna go watch the telly?" Harry asked when he pulled back.

"Yeah!" Ron shouted excitedly as he bounded from the room. "I get to hold the rowmote this time!"

"It's called a _remote_!" Harry called after him.

Harry shook his head in amusement and stumbled to his feet. He moved awkwardly over to the far wall and grabbed the crutches. He could walk without them but the movement was somewhat jerky because he couldn't move his ankle in the cast. It was easier and much faster just to use the crutches. Plus it was beneficial to have them nearby at all times in case the social worker came.

He smiled as he once again looked around at the bright orange walls of the bedroom he shared with Ron. The room was so small it hardly qualified as a room, but it was perfect for what they needed. Instead of two single beds, they had bunk beds, but otherwise it looked a lot like Ron's room at the Burrow, minus the Quidditch posters and other miscellaneous magical paraphernalia, of course. It was cluttered and messy from the hurried unpacking and the dresser drawers had odd bits of clothing sticking out of them. Mrs. Weasley had even given them permission to leave their beds unmade if they wished to add to the illusion. It was essentially perfect. The quintessential teenager's room.

He hobbled out to the living room and found Ron already sprawled out on the couch flipping through the channels quickly as if trying to take in everything at once. Everyone had been excited to see that Tonks had a Muggle television fitted with a variety of cable stations when they arrived yesterday and it had been the source of entertainment ever since then. The Weasleys had looked to Harry to explain how to work all the Muggle appliances that the flat was stocked with and it gave him a profound sense of pleasure to finally be knowledgeable about something for once.

He sat himself down in the recliner and pulled up the foot stool to prop up his legs, enjoying the chance to lounge while watching television. It was something he had never been allowed to do while at the Dursleys.

Mrs. Weasley, donned in another Muggle outfit, was bustling about in the kitchen a few feet away, looking through the cupboards.

"Hey, Harry, look at that!" Ron exclaimed, finally stopping on a channel long enough to see what was on. "Those characters look like paintings."

"It's called a cartoon. It's mostly kid stuff," he patiently explained.

"Oh," Ron said, sounding disappointed.

Harry smiled at Ron knowing how much he wanted to watch the program, but not wanting to appear childish in front of him in anyway. "We can watch this. I love cartoons."

"Okay, if you want," Ron replied in a nonchalant tone.

Harry smirked, knowing that it was Ron's way of pretending to concede to him instead of stating that he wanted to watch cartoons as well.

"I can't believe we don't have any proper food. How am I to make breakfast? I knew I had forgotten something we came here. I'll have to check with Arthur later up getting some supplies," Mrs. Weasley said aloud to herself.

"I saw some milk in the refrigerator," said Harry, trying to be helpful. "And some cereal boxes in the cupboard. We could have cold cereal for breakfast…"

"_Cold cereal?"_ Mrs. Weasley asked in a tone that meant she was clearly confused. As far as Harry knew the wizarding world had something equivalent to porridge, but otherwise cereal was nonexistent. Harry had been surprised when they did not offer it at Hogwarts with as many Muggleborn students that go there. Cold cereal had to sound completely ludicrous to her.

"Yes, it's quite good. Muggles eat it all the time," Harry assured her. "I can help you if you want."

"No that's alright. I think I can manage," she said.

Ron had not taken his eyes off the telly since he sat down and for once didn't seem to care about food. He was more worried about what was coming on the telly next.

After a short while, Mrs. Weasley called them over to the kitchen table. "Alright dears, your er… breakfast is ready."

"Aw mum… can't we eat in here? I want to watch this…" Ron whined.

"Absolutely not," she scoffed. "That hardly seems proper. Imagine what that Mitchell woman would say if she came in here and so us eating in the living room."

"Actually Mrs. Weasley. Lots of Muggle families eat in front of the television," Harry explained.

"Really?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yeah."

"Oh, well then…" she began. She clearly looked torn between doing what she thought was proper and having another opportunity to watch the telly as well. Much to Harry's surprise, she had somehow developed a keen interest in the Muggle contraption when she saw a cooking episode, something she later revealed to them that she was always secretly interested in.

"Please Mum…" Ron begged.

"Well, alright. Just be careful that you don't spill anything," she said as she handed them their bowls of cereal.

"Thanks," said Harry as he hurriedly downed the nutritional potion she had handed him. He then dug into a bowl of corn flakes. He was surprisingly hungry despite how nervous he felt.

They ate quietly, with their eyes glued to the television, hoping the day would pass quickly enough until the social worker came.

They had arrived yesterday morning hoping to set everything up as quickly as possible in case the social worker showed up a day early, which she had threatened to do in her last phone call. It had taken the better part of the day, but in the end they had accomplished what they thought would have been impossible. Luckily, the social worker hadn't shown up so they had plenty of time to get themselves situated.

With everything now in place, the small flat looked surprisingly well lived in. Harry could no longer discern the difference between what had belonged to Tonks, the items brought from the Burrow, and what had been charmed with glamours. And he was sure the social worker wouldn't be able to either. It was homey… despite the confined quarters.

As with any flat situated near the heart of London, Tonks' little space in the Muggle world was quite cramped. In fact, it was technically only supposed to be a one bedroom apartment. With the help of a little magic the linen closet had been expanded using wizard space to make room for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's bedroom. A few of the other apartments in the three story building had two bedrooms as well, so it wasn't inconceivable that this one would as well. They had even used painting charms on many of the sparse walls in the flat so that it reflected a family had been living there a while.

The only problem had been ensuring that the neighbors wouldn't become suspicious of what was going on around them. Silencing spells were placed around the flat to make sure that nothing out of the ordinary was heard through the paper thin walls. As an extra safety precaution, some of the adjacent neighbors' memories were modified so that they would remember a family of three red heads having always lived in the apartment and that they had recently taken in a dark haired boy who was on crutches.

With everything in place, Harry and the Weasleys spent the rest of the day watching TV and playing Muggle card games, which Harry had some knowledge about. Periodically a member of the Order stationed nearby would stop by to check on them, but overall the experience had been quite uneventful.

Much to Harry's delight, Sirius had stayed most of the evening with him, but had reluctantly decided to return home so that he would be well rested for his shift the next day. His idea of rest and Harry's idea of what that meant were two different things. As far as he knew, Sirius had barely gotten two hours of sleep before he stationed himself back on post. It was unnecessary considering how heavily guarded the surrounding perimeter was, but Harry wasn't secretly pleased that his godfather cared so much about his safety.

It was decided that Mr. Weasley would still go to work today, despite the social worker's impending arrival, to keep up appearances. He was to play the part of a businessman and his wife would be a simple housewife. He was due home later this afternoon around the time that the social worker was scheduled to visit.

Until they had discovered the television, Harry and Ron had been wondering what they were going to all day while they were cooped up in the little flat. They had actually thought about bringing their school books to do some revising, but had been told to leave them behind. They learned from Ron's parents that books in general have an aversion to magical manipulation of any means. His parents didn't want to take the chance that the texts couldn't be turned back to normal if spelled to look like typical Muggle high school books.

Without any books to read, they had been thankful to have the telly as a distraction. And they had been glued to it ever since.

Around lunch time, they heard a loud knock at the door. The three of them glanced at each other uneasily, wondering if the social worker had come early today to surprise them. Mrs. Weasley checked to see who was at the door and received a standard password from an Order member instead. Upon opening the door, they discovered Tonks standing just on the other side.

"Hi Tonks," said Harry in a friendly tone, from where he was seated.

"Wotcher Harry," Tonks replied, stepping through the doorway. Her now blond hair was pulled back into a loose pony tail. She was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a bright pink t-shirt. Dangling from each hand were grocery bags.

"What's this?" asked Mrs. Weasley, helping the younger witch inside and relieving her of the heavy burden.

"Just some groceries. I thought you might be needing some food to help you get by. I didn't remember seeing much of anything in the cupboards when I helped you unpack yesterday. Sorry about that… I should have planned ahead," she explained, looking a bit sheepish. "I don't eat here much."

"It's alright," Mrs. Weasley assured her. "I didn't think of bringing anything myself. I appreciate you doing this." She then took the bags to the kitchen and began unloading, check the new supplies.

"Wow, I hardly recognize the place," Tonks commented as she glanced around at what had been once a sanctuary of sorts for her away from the wizarding world. They had done quite a bit of redecorating after Tonks' shift was over and she left yesterday.

"Don't worry; it will all be back to normal within a few day's time," said Mrs. Weasley. "Thanks again for letting us do this."

"No problem. It's the least I could do," she replied with a smile. "Just let me know if you need anything else."

Before she left that day she had one more thing to bestow on them. "Hey, you guys like games?" she asked. Ron and Harry nodded, wondering what she had up her sleeve. "I had forgotten I had one of these when I left yesterday, but I remembered when I got to headquarters. I thought you might like a bit of fun…"

Harry and Ron watched as she rifled through a trunk that had been left untouched in the corner of the room. When she stood up again, she was holding a light grey plastic box with some random wires attached to it in one hand and two cassettes in the other.

"What is that?" Ron asked, clearly bewildered.

Harry stared at Tonks in wonder, feeling himself growing excited. "Is that what I think it is?" he asked.

She smiled, knowing that Harry would recognize what she was holding. "Yup…a Super Nintendo system. I know it's a bit old and I've only got two games but I figured you might be up for it."

"A super what?" Ron asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"You'll see…" she said, pulling the telly out slightly so that she could make the proper connections on the back of it. When she was done she turned the set to the proper channel and turned on the game system.

"Super Mario Brothers! Oh wow… thanks! I've always wanted to play this. Dudley never let me touch his!" Harry exclaimed. Eager to try playing a video game for the first time in his life, Harry jumped off the recliner and crawled towards the telly so he could reach one of the controllers.

"Need some help getting started?" Tonks asked, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.

"No, I think I got it," Harry replied.

He quickly pressed the start button was the game began. Ron settled down beside him and picked up the other controller, pressing the buttons to see if he could make his work too. Harry had little problem figuring out what to do. After having watched Dudley from afar so many times he soon got a hang of all the controls. But it was a while before he was able to pass the first board.

Ron, ever the strategist, had picked up the game fairly quickly and passed the first board on his very first try, much to Harry's irritation. It soon became a competition to see who would move on to the next level first. They were so involved in the game that they barely noticed that Tonks had left or that Ron's Mum was silently watching them from the kitchen, enjoying the amusing scene.

They must have been quite a sight to see. Ron kept biting his tongue in concentration and Harry would move his head up and down when he tried to make the little man on the screen jump out of danger. And both of them jerked their controllers back and forth in mid air as if to help their characters maneuver faster, not realizing that the abrupt movements did little more than cause each other to bump into the other occasionally. They were both shouting incomprehensible exclamations at the game as they grew more and more excited, and their stress levels continued to rise the further they advanced.

When they finally tired of the game, they moved onto Tetris, which Ron seemed to excel even more at. He always knew which direction to turn the falling pieces before they reached the bottom to make sure they fit perfectly into each space.

The afternoon passed in a complete blur of animated sounds and color, and before they knew it there was a knock at the door.

Ron and Harry made to get off the floor, but Ron's Mum signaled that she should stay put and continue their game. They nodded, understanding that this would help add to their little illusion.

"Hello?" called Mrs. Weasley through the door. "Who is it?"

"I'm from Child Protective Services… I'm here about Harry…" said a firm voice from the other side.

Mrs. Weasley peeked through the hole in the door for visual confirmation. Feeling assured that it was the Muggle social worker, and not a Death Eater, she opened the door. The Order had someone in the hallway monitoring the flat and they could have easily determined if this woman had a magical signature or not.

"Hello, we've been expecting you," she said politely.

The middle-aged woman nodded and extended her hand. "I'm Margaret Mitchell, the social worker in charge of Harry's case. We met at the hospital," she said.

"Yes, I remember. It's good to see you again. Thank you for coming," said Mrs. Weasley, shaking the social worker's hand.

Mrs. Mitchell smiled politely and then took a moment too glance around the tiny flat.

"Can I offer you some tea?" asked Mrs. Weasley, clearly feeling a little uneasy as this woman analyzed where they were supposedly living.

"That would be lovely," said Mrs. Mitchell. She then turned to the boys on the floor in front of the telly. "Hello Harry… you are looking well. How are you?"

She was just as Harry remembered her, looking quite proper in her crisp navy blue business suit. She was even carrying the same leather satchel as before that she uses carry various legal documents and her notepads of information.

"Fine thanks," said Harry, remembering to make eye contact with her. Earlier this week he had been debriefed about how she was going to read his body language and ask him numerous questions about his well being, looking for anything she might use to remove Harry from the Weasleys' care.

"I'd like to speak with you for a moment, if that's okay?" she asked, eyeing Harry carefully.

Mrs. Weasley caught his eye and she gave him a slight nod. They had known that the social worker might want to speak to him privately and they had made sure to prep him accordingly.

"Yeah, sure…" he said rising to his feet. Carefully hopping over to the wall, he grabbed his crutches form wear he had left them. He placed a crutch under either arm and then made his way towards the table where Mrs. Weasley had placed her cup of tea.

Mrs. Mitchell grinned and said, "Actually, I'd like to speak to you privately. Shall we move to your bedroom?"

"Oh, o-okay…" said Harry, turning towards his room. He caught Ron's eye momentarily and he saw on his face the look of concern. Harry winked at him to let him know he was alright and made his way to the small bedroom. As long as he stuck to plan everything would be alright.

Mrs. Mitchell followed him inside and closed the door. Harry sat down on the lower bunk bed and Mrs. Mitchell pulled out the chair from the small desk. He watched as she retrieved pen and paper from her leather satchel and sat back in the chair. Her eyes scanned the room carefully for a few moments and she made a few notes on her notepad. Harry could only sit and wait, wondering what she was thinking.

"I'd like to ask you a few questions," she began.

"Okay."

"How do you like living with the Weasleys?"

"I l-love living with them," he said honestly.

"And why is that?"

"Because they are kind to me… they t-take care of me…"

"Okay… and what about their son? I see you share a room with him. How do you get along with him?" she asked.

"Ron? We get along fine. We're best friends," said Harry with a slight smile on his face.

"Really? Well, that is good to know… I saw you playing some game with him out in the living room. Do you play many video games?"

Harry wondered what would be the appropriate response. If the social worker felt that playing too many games was a sign that Weasleys weren't letting him get any proper exercise that could be trouble. But he couldn't exactly explain that the reason he and Ron were so wrapped up in the game was because today was the first time they had ever played. Then again, she might be glad that they were allowed such free time. What did she want to hear?

"Not really… I'm usually more active, but the video g-games are fun until I can get around better. Being on crutches isn't a lot of fun. Ron keeps me company…" said Harry, trying to think on the spot.

The social worker nodded. Apparently this response was satisfactory.

"What about Mr. and Mrs. Weasley… how do you get along with them?"

"Fine."

"This flat seems somewhat small for a family of four… do you find that the Weasleys can adequately provide for you needs?" she asked.

Harry knew she was hinting to the fact that the Weasleys appeared to be poor given the size of the flat and the condition many of the things were in that they brought. Harry liked to think of their things as being worn down by love.

"Yes, they give me whatever I need," he said firmly.

"And you don't feel threatened by them in anyway?"

"N-no…" Harry said, somewhat startled by her question.

"Have you ever been mistreated while you were in their care?"

"N-no of course not. They're not like that," he insisted.

"They've never hit you or anything like that?"

"NO!"

Mrs. Mitchell nodded and made some notes. Harry felt really uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the social worker, studying him so intently. Not only did he have to pretend to still be healing from his injuries, but he also had to be mindful of what he said.

"If you did misbehave, how might you be punished?"

"Chores, I g-guess…"

"That's good… I see you're still recovering from your injuries … have you been taken to a doctor for further treatment?"

"Yes, a doctor in London, but I d-don't remember his name. Mr. or Mrs. Weasley would know though," Harry recited from memory.

This apparently seemed reasonable to her because she moved on. "I tried to contact the Weasleys a few weeks back and make a home visit and you were no where to be found. Where were you?" she asked.

Harry had been expecting this question and said, "We were on holiday near Brighton. The Weasleys thought I needed a b-break."

"But you were specifically told not to go anywhere during this investigation," she said firmly.

Harry shrugged. "Well, we did. And I had a good time at the beach."

Mrs. Mitchell gave them an odd look, which Harry suddenly understood. _Why take a child to the beach when he cannot swim?_

"I d-didn't go s-swimming or anything… you know because of the c-cast… but I love watching the waves. Always have…" Harry tried. "It was very p-peaceful."

Mrs. Mitchell smiled and nodded again. It appeared that she liked the fact that he had enjoyed himself despite the apparent infraction against Child Protective Services. Harry almost sighed in relief that she had bought his lie.

"Shouldn't you be in a walking cast by now?" she asked, eyeing the cast on his left ankle.

"I g-guess the doctor thought this one was still okay. I get around just fine."

"No one signed your cast…" she observed.

Harry didn't know what to say so he shrugged. He hadn't thought about the Muggle tradition of signing casts, not that it mattered. He couldn't have anyone other then Ron sign it anyway. How would he explain all the other signatures when he was supposed to have no other family or contact with friends?

"I've been told that you finally agreed to give your testimony against your uncle…how do you feel about this?"

That was certainly a load question. Harry took a deep breath to calm himself and said, "Okay, I guess."

"You didn't want to testify before… in fact you insisted that your injuries resulted from falling down the stairs. Why did you change your mind?"

"I just did… it s-seemed like the right thing to do. What my uncle did w-was wrong."

"And what did he do…"

Harry really didn't want to say it, not to her. "You know."

"I suppose I do," she said with a sad sigh. "But can you tell me?"

"I d-don't want to talk about it right now…"

Mrs. Mitchell seemed to be troubled by the fact that she didn't know the details of the abuse Harry suffered, but she let it go. They both knew she would probably obtain a copy of the testimony he would give anyway.

"Do you have any questions for me?" she asked.

Harry shook his head no.

"Well, I think we're done for now… though I may have more questions for you later," said Mrs. Mitchell.

Harry rose from his the bed and grabbed his crutches. He was out in the living room before he realized that the social worker had not followed him. From what he could see she apparently was scoping every inch of the bedroom. She then moved through the "makeshift" master bedroom and the little bathroom before joining them again in the living room, making some notes on her notepad about whatever she was seeing.

Mrs. Weasley quickly fetched a fresh cup of tea for her since the other had gone cold. The social worker then positioned herself in one corner of the little room and stated that she would like to observe them for a little while. It was strange to go about their business with someone watching you under such examination, but they did.

Harry and Ron returned to their video game and Mrs. Weasley set about making dinner, the old fashioned Muggle way. The social worker stayed late into the afternoon watching their every move, and Harry suspected that she was waiting for Mr. Weasley to come home. At six o'clock, he finally arrived home from work.

Mr. Weasley made a big show of setting down his things and greeting the boys, apparently already aware that the social worker would be present. He then greeted his wife with a kiss on her cheek as she dutifully prepared dinner.

By now Mrs. Mitchell had risen to her feet and greeted Ron's father with a hand shake. Before long they were seated at the kitchen table and she questioned him about his line of work.

To Harry's amazement, Mr. Weasley turned out to be a fairly decent actor. He fumbled over a few of his words and seemed to think carefully about everything he said before saying it, but overall he did fairly well. He was even able to produce documentation of Harry's "doctor" visits and a train ticket from their journey to the sea shore, explaining they hadn't gotten the film from their cameras developed yet.

"Will you stay for dinner?" asked Mrs. Weasley, when the social worker was done asking her a few brief questions.

"No. Thank you for asking but my work is done here," she said, rising to her feet. "I should be on my way."

Ron and Harry came to stand beside Ron's parents and waited to hear what the social worker had to say. She was eerily quiet for a few moments and Harry was nervous about what she would reveal. If she found his situation to be inadequate, would she try to make him leave? Would she try to put him in a Children's Home? Harry doubted the Order would let that happen, but he worried about it nonetheless.

Taking a deep breath, Mrs. Mitchell began her speech. "I've learned everything I need to know for me to write a Child Assessment on Harry's current situation with his foster parents. Despite the oddity of the Emergency Order of Protection, being filed so quickly and whatnot, I find no cause to question Harry's foster care.

"It is my opinion that Harry is being well cared for and that he seems to be genuinely happy in your home. His medical needs are being adequately met and I see that you are taking steps to eradicate his severe malnutrition given his healthy complexion and added weight. His room is a tad messy for my taste and he plays too many video games, but he is a teenager I guess… and we can't fault him for that. I find no reason to remove him from you care and my report will reflect my feelings that he should remain in your home as long as you wish to care for him."

"This is wonderful," said Mr. Weasley, clapping his hands together excitedly.

Harry couldn't have agreed more. He had been extremely anxious about this entire mission and he couldn't wait to see it come to an end so that he could return to the Burrow.

"Yes, well it's obvious you care a great deal about Harry," Mrs. Mitchell continued.

"We love him," said Mrs. Weasley, reaching out to hug Harry and kiss his temple.

"I see that," she said. "Well, I must be going… but before I leave I must tell you one more thing..."

"What?" asked Mr. Weasley, when the social worker hadn't said anything further.

"Now that my Child Assessment is complete, the courts are going to want to proceed as quickly as possible to obtain Harry's testimony against his uncle. I have already been contacted several times by the prosecutors for both trials, wondering when they might speak with Harry. They were aware of me coming here today and they have already tentatively scheduled the interview for tomorrow pending the outcome of my findings," she said slowly.

"What!" they all shouted.

She held up her hand as if to agree with their outrage. "I'm sorry… I tried to arrange for more time for you, but I wasn't very successful. I know this seems sudden, but the trials begin in less than two weeks and the prosecutors will want to be able to go through Harry's interview several times… in order to extract what they are going to need as evidence against Vernon Dursley."

Harry felt himself pale visibly as he slumped against the wall behind him.

Mrs. Mitchell sighed in frustration. "I didn't want to say anything until my assessment was complete. I'm sorry if this is an inconvenience, but you will need to report to the courthouse tomorrow at 1 PM."

"There is no way to reschedule the interview?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Your lawyer… Ms. Tonks I believe… is welcomed to try, but I fear she won't have much luck. The prosecutors in charge of both cases are known to always get their way."

Mr. Weasley nodded, clearly not happy with what she had to say.

"Well, best of luck to you Harry… I'll be in touch," she said. Mrs. Mitchell then quietly showed herself to the door, closing it behind her.

"Harry, are you alright?" someone asked.

Harry found he couldn't respond. He was still slumped against the wall, feeling as if he had been socked in the stomach. He felt a hand on his shoulder and leaned into it thinking it was Ron trying to comfort him. When he looked up he saw that it was Mr. Weasley.

"I know this seems like a lot. We were expecting to have more time to prepare…of course we'll have Tonks try to reschedule… but if not, we'll get you through this…"

Harry nodded mutely, feeling quite numb.

Mr. Weasley raised his chin and looked into his eyes. "We'll get you through this Harry… everything is going to be okay," he said.

When Harry didn't respond, Mr. Weasley wrapped an arm around him and hugged him to his side. Harry felt a little awkward about at first, but the warmth of his body against his was somehow reassuring. "You're going to be alright," he said. "Don't you worry about a thing…"

Harry felt Mr. Weasley release him and Ron was suddenly by his side. "Come on Harry, let's go sit down," he said, helping Harry to hobble to the couch.

Harry nodded but otherwise still did not respond. He just felt so numb, like he was having some type of out of body experience. He imagined he must be shocked by the news. He sat down heavily on the couch and stared at the floor trying to process what he just heard. Ron was sitting close beside him, but not even his calming presence could pull Harry from his reverie.

Harry could vaguely hear Mr. and Mrs. Weasley talking in the kitchen.

"That poor dear… I can't believe they are going to make him do this so soon…" Mrs. Weasley said tearfully.

"I don't understand it myself either," said Mr. Weasley. "We need to get Dumbledore and the others over here immediately…we hadn't planned for this so soon…"

Harry could hear the sound of the door opening and Mr. Weasley quietly whispering to the invisible guard posted outside. Within minutes, Sirius, Remus, Tonks, and Dumbledore had arrived at the flat. If the situation hadn't been so overwhelming, Harry might have actually laughed to see them all wearing jeans and t-shirts. A sight that was most amusing on Dumbledore.

Barely glancing in Harry's direction they began discussing what they were going to have to do tomorrow to ensure Harry's safety. In his dazed confusion Harry made out the words "ministry car" and "reposition guards."

"Are you alright, Harry?" Ron asked, grasping Harry's hand in his own, making sure to keep the gesture hidden from the adults.

Harry just couldn't be bothered to answer. He was just too caught up in his own self misery to acknowledge his boyfriend just now. Everything he had tried to keep secret would be dragged out into the open for everyone to see tomorrow. He knew it would happen eventually, but the thought of it felt like throwing salt on open wound.

He heard his godfather mutter to the others, "Just when one masquerade ends, another begins."

Harry was surprised that when he glanced up again, Snape had somehow entered the flat. He was speaking earnestly with Dumbledore aside from the others. He watched the pair together, wondering what they might be discussing.

"The perimeter is still secure. Moody and Shacklebolt just completed a sweep of the area and all of the guards in place have seen no sign of suspicious activity," he explained.

"Very good, Severus, thank you…" Dumbledore replied, his voice sounding tired.

"What's happened?" Snape asked, glancing at the other adults and the concerned looks on their faces as they considered what would happen tomorrow.

"Harry has been scheduled to give his testimony tomorrow, far earlier then we had anticipated," the wizened wizard explained. "We are going over the procedures for transporting Harry to the courthouse and back again. The rest of the Order will be notified once we have a plan in place."

Snape glanced over at Harry and Ron sitting on the couch. His face showed no sign of emotion, but there was something behind Snape's obsidian eyes that startled Harry greatly. He couldn't determine what he saw there, but something had definitely changed.

Harry snapped out of his daze completely as he suddenly realized what Dumbledore had said to Snape. "_Harry has been scheduled to give his testimony tomorrow…"_ The way he had said it clearly implied that Snape already knew that he would be testifying. How did Snape know about that? No one was supposed to know!

Jumping up from the couch, Harry shouted. "You t-told him!"

Everyone was immediately silent as they looked over at Harry glaring at all of them angrily. Ron was now standing beside him looking clearly bewildered at Harry sudden mood swing.

"What's wrong Harry?" asked Dumbledore kindly.

"You t-told him! I d-didn't w-want anyone to know about me testifying and you t-told him!" he shouted. It felt like every fiber of his being was shaking with the indignation of what he suspected to be true.

"Harry-" the headmaster began again, but he was soon cut off.

"What d-did you t-tell him? Did you t-tell him about m-my uncle too?" he asked angrily, losing all control of the words coming out of his mouth.

The silence that followed his question was enough to confirm his suspicions. Sirius and Mrs. Weasley took a step towards him and he took a step back, away from them.

"D-does the entire Order know?" he asked, his voice losing some of the steam that it held only moments ago. He wrapped his arms over his chest protectively feeling more and more vulnerable with each passing second. The action did little to comfort him because of the constrictive bandages would around his chest. He looked back and forth between Sirius and Mrs. Weasley, but neither one seemed willing to answer.

"Yes, Harry… they do. But they have taken a Wizard's Oath never to tell another soul," replied Dumbledore.

"I didn't w-want anyone to know!" he complained.

Mr. Weasley took a step forward to join the others, leaving Remus and Tonks behind. "I'm sorry, Harry. We were having trouble convincing the Order why this mission had to take place… I told Dumbledore to tell the others," he reluctantly said.

"Dad, how could you! Harry didn't even want us to know!" Ron yelled, clearly as outraged as Harry was.

"I t-trusted you! I can't believe you w-would d-do this to me!" Harry yelled, having less and less control over his stuttering.

"I'm sorry, Harry…" Mr. Weasley said once more.

Harry could see the sadness and regret in Mr. Weasley's eyes… his eyes so much like Ron's… Harry knew his heart that Ron's father was a good man who would never intentionally hurt him and would only do what he thought was right… but he was too overcome with the pain of his betrayal to come to that understanding just now.

"I d-don't care!"

He didn't really expect the entire Order to help him move into Tonks' flat temporarily without an explanation, but he certainly didn't think they would be told the truth.

"Really, Potter, don't you think you're getting a bit carried away," Snape said in a sardonic tone.

"Shut up!" Harry screamed at the Potion's Master, not caring if he was his Hogwarts professor.

He couldn't stand to be in the same room with these people any longer. Harry stormed down towards the bedroom he shared with Ron, not caring that he couldn't walk properly because of ankle frozen in an awkward position. He slammed the door once he was inside and climbed onto his bed, feeling utterly mortified that the one person that seemed to revel in hating him knew his deepest, darkest secret.

Ron soon entered the room, closing the door behind him. Harry turned his back to him, not really wanting to talk to anyone just now.

"Harry... Harry? Are you okay?" Ron asked, as he sat down beside him. "Okay, stupid question. Of course you're not okay."

Harry wrapped his arms around his chest and stared at the wall between the two bunk beds, trying to ignore Ron so that he could brood properly.

"You want to talk about it?" asked Ron.

"No! L-leave me alone, Ron!" Harry demanded.

Ron was quiet for a few moments, and he seemed to be deciding what he was going to do with the disgruntled teenager before him.

"Okay, you don't want to talk about it… so I'll just keep you company then…" Ron said, nudging Harry over so that he could lie down beside him.

Harry sighed, knowing that Ron was trying to make him feel better. "Y-you don't have to do this…"

"I know," Ron said, snuggling against Harry's back.

"I can't believe Snape knows," he said softly, feeling some of his resolve wane.

"Sorry, Harry…" Ron whispered. "I know you didn't want anyone to know. But they did swear a Wizard's Oath, so it's not like he could ever use it against you."

They were quiet for a few moments, neither one knowing what else to say.

"I don't know if I can do this tomorrow…" Harry admitted, as his initial fears of having to give his testimony slowly came back.

"Of course you can," Ron said firmly.

"How do you know?"

"Because I'm going to be by your side," he said matter-of-factly.

* * *

A/N: So what did you all think of this chapter? Molly's POV in the beginning was a somewhat experimental writing style. What do you all think of it? Good? Bad? No difference? Let me know. 

**Many thanks to all of my readers and reviewers!**


	18. Dirty Little Secrets

**Chapter 18- Dirty Little Secrets**

Ron had slept restlessly that night feeling endlessly worried about Harry, and he was now watching him carefully this morning. He had noticed that Harry hadn't eaten anything at dinner last night and had failed to eat much of his breakfast. Harry had practically stopped eating altogether as he became more and more nervous about testifying today.

It had been a blow to them all; the unexpected timing of Harry's testimony had caused the Order to stay up all night planning meticulously every detail to ensure Harry's safety while he was in transit to the courthouse. Every Order member was either already in position for the mission that afternoon or on standby until further notice. And each was still equipped with an emergency portkey so that they could get Harry or the Weasleys out if there was any sign of danger.

As worried as Ron was about everything going smoothly today, he was more worried about Harry. After his angry tirade last night, he had sunk into a quiet malaise, refusing to speak to anyone about his feelings. In fact, he had stopped talking all together and his silence only increased Ron's concern for him. He had tried all morning to reassure Harry that everything would be alright, but all he received in return was an almost imperceptible nod of his head.

Ron was grateful that Harry hadn't fully pushed him away altogether. He at least allowed Ron to hug, kiss, or otherwise comfort him, though he didn't really respond in kind. But that didn't matter now.

Ron was currently sitting on the bottom bunk with Harry resting gently against him, staring with unfocused eyes at the orange walls of their shared room. Ron brushed his fingers through Harry's messy hair at a loss of what to say to make him feel any better. There really wasn't much he could say… he knew Harry didn't really want to go through with this and had been pressured more than anything into testifying against his uncle. He hoped that this quiet intimacy was enough to put his love's mind at ease, at least temporarily.

There was a sudden knock on the door and the pair broke apart without saying a word. They sat at opposite ends of the bed and Ron quietly said, "Come in," hoping that whoever it was that they would go away soon.

It was Sirius… looking quite exhausted and thoroughly worried. "Hey, kiddo… how you doin'?" he asked Harry, as he dragged the desk chair over to the bunk bed and took a seat.

Harry shrugged his shoulders in response. At least Ron wasn't the only one he had given up speaking to.

"I'm really sorry about last night… I didn't want you finding out that way… that the Order knew that you were to testify against your uncle…"

Ron watched as Harry looked away huffily, still seeming quite angry about the whole ordeal.

"If it makes you feel any better, I insisted that Dumbledore asked you first before explaining… but I guess there wasn't any time… I was overruled…" said Sirius, his eyes looking hopeful that Harry would understand.

His godson looked back at him but still didn't say anything.

Sirius sighed. "I just want you to know that I'm really proud of you for doing this. I know you don't want to, but it's the right thing to do…a very brave thing to do. I only wish that I could be there."

"I wish you could be there, too," Harry said softly. Both Ron and Sirius were shocked to hear his quiet voice after a morning of near silence.

"You know why I can't…"

Harry nodded sadly, closing his eyes. His godfather was still a wanted criminal. Since his escape from Azkaban his picture had been distributed to both magical and Muggle authorities. It would be much too risky for him accompany Harry to the courthouse. He could be recognized. Instead, he would be posted on guard with several other Order members around the perimeter of the building under a disillusionment charm, looking for signs of trouble.

Sirius gave Ron a pleading look and he knew that Sirius wished to be alone with his godson for a moment. Ron nodded in understanding and got up from the bed, quietly closing the door behind him once he had stepped into the hallway.

Ron crossed the short distance to the kitchen, where he found his parents talking quietly. He really didn't feel like conversing with them after he found out how they had betrayed Harry's trust, but it wasn't like he had anywhere else to go. Ron reluctantly joined them at the kitchen table and sat down heavily, rubbing his eyes wearily from his lack of sleep last night.

"How's Harry doing?" his mother asked, reaching out to straighten a strand of red hair that stood out of place on his head.

Ron batted her hand away irritably and replied to her with a sharp tongue. "What do you think? He was worried enough about having to testify to those Muggles and now he just found out that the entire damn Order knows about his horrible childhood!"

"Ronald, watch your language!" she scolded.

"Molly, leave him be… he's upset for his friend…" his father replied.

Ron shot his father a dirty look. "I'm more upset with you! How could you do that to Harry? You knew he didn't want anyone else to know… and you gave permission to Dumbledore to tell the Order!"

"I deserve that, I suppose," his father sighed. "And I'm sorry Ron that you feel that way… but please think about the position I was in… we needed the Order's help and we weren't going to get it until we explained why we were going through such extreme measures…"

"But you could have asked Harry first!" Ron shouted heatedly.

"And what would have Harry said?"

Ron paused for a moment, knowing where his father was going with this now. "Well… probably no…" he mumbled.

"Which means that we wouldn't have been able to safely move to this flat for the home visit or have Harry testify," his father explained.

Ron didn't say anything, knowing his father had a point. But that didn't mean he had to like it. He was still angry with him.

"Don't you want his uncle to pay for what he did to Harry?" his mother asked gently, reaching out to take her son's hand.

"Well, yeah… of course…" Ron mumbled again, staring down at his lap. Her hand was warm and felt comfortable inside his own, but he couldn't help but feel that he was betraying Harry as well if he agreed with his parents' decision. As much as he wanted to he didn't pull away.

His mother squeezed his hand as her sad eyes looked into his own. "There was no other way, honey… your father would never intentionally set out to hurt Harry… he just did what he felt in his heart was the right thing to do… even if it meant going against Harry's wishes… parents have to do that sometimes…"

"But you're not Harry's parents," Ron said quickly.

It was something that had been bothering him since he and Harry had begun their relationship, the odd family dynamic that Harry had with the Weasleys… almost a son, but not really. As much as Ron wanted Harry to be a part of his family, he didn't want to think of him in a brotherly sense; though the rest of his siblings apparently seemed to.

"Of course not, but we're the closest thing he has right now," his father replied.

"Harry has Sirius too."

His mother sighed. "Yes… yes, he does."

A few moments later, Sirius and Harry came out of the bedroom, both looking quite pensive about the whole situation. Still using his crutches Harry approached Ron and his parents and stood up straight, as if waiting for them expectantly. He did not make eye contact with them, however, and had yet to speak to either of his parents since last night. He was still upset by their betrayal, but had not made another scene like he did last night.

Ron noticed that Sirius was now carrying a knapsack, but he didn't think anything of it. Harry seemed a little more confident now that he had spoken to Sirius, and Ron wondered what his godfather had said to him to pull him out of his melancholy state. He wished he had been able to do that.

"We should get going," said Sirius.

Ron watched as his father checked the clock on the wall and noticed how late it was. "My goodness, you're right… is everyone ready?"

They all nodded, knowing that they were as ready as they were going to be. There was no debriefing Harry this time on what to say or do… it was all up to him now. Only he knew the truth of his past and could determine what the prosecutors would want to hear in order to try his uncle.

Everyone was clad in Muggle clothing, but Harry donned additional props to make their story more believable. He was still wearing the tight bandages on his chest beneath his shirt and the cast on his left ankle. Unable to walk properly, Harry also used a pair of crutches to get around. And the glamour on his forehead used to simulate the scar he would have had from the accident had been reapplied for good measure. They were each a part of the illusion that he was still recovering from the accident.

They moved quietly out of the apartment, down to the first floor, and out to the vehicle waiting outside. All the while they were being watched carefully by the Order, who were strategically positioned at every turn.

The vehicle had been "borrowed" from the Ministry of Magic and had been magically expanded to accommodate them all. Kingsley Shacklebolt was in the driver's seat once again and seated beside him was Tonks. She looked much like she did the day Harry had first met her, with her dark hair pulled back in a bun and wearing a no nonsense looking business suit.

Harry crawled into the backseat and Ron and his parents quickly crawled in beside him. Harry crutches were then placed on the floor in front of them.

Sirius gave the vehicle a slap to signal all was clear and then watched as they began moving before Disapparating to their next location.

Thankfully, they only had a short distance to drive, but guards were still placed strategically down the roads they would travel searching for signs of danger. Once they were at the courthouse the guards would be repositioned to observe the surrounding area while they waited for Harry to finish.

No one said a word as Kingsley drove them to the courthouse. Ron so badly wanted to reach over and hold Harry's hand, but he knew that it would have been too awkward to openly admit his feelings like that just now. He turned his head hoping to catch Harry's eye, but his boyfriend was staring silently out at the passing scenery. He was sitting stiffly, but Ron knew that was more because of the bandages that had been tightly wound around his chest than anything else.

A short while later, the vehicle came to stop in front of a building that read Marylebone Magistrates Court. It was a rather large building, made of an elaborate combination of stone and red brick. The large arching windows on the first floor were flanked by two sets of heavy wooden doors that led to the main foyer of the courthouse.

Stepping out of the vehicle, they followed Tonks into the Magistrates Court. Unfortunately for Harry there were quite few steps that he had to navigate, but he refused to use the lifts.

"I'm fine," Harry would mutter, whenever anyone tried to assist him.

They soon found themselves in a large foyer that had large vaulted ceilings. The walls had been lined with polished stone and the flooring decorated with black and white marble laid out in an intricate pattern. Altogether the effect it created was one of strict formality. Large potted plants dotted the foyer, but the lush plants looked out of place against the harsh austere interior.

Tonks led them over to an older gentlemen sitting on a bench against a far wall. As they walked Ron could swear he had felt someone brush up beside him, but when he turned to see who it was, there was no one there. Puzzled, he turned back to watch Tonks talk to someone he had never seen before.

"Uncle Al, how are you?" she said sweetly, embracing the aging man as he stood up to greet her.

"I'm fine dear, and yourself?" he asked, pulling back to look at her properly. He looked her over as if studying her appearance and Ron wondered if her uncle knew that Tonks could change it at will.

"I'm good," she replied.

Tonks turned back to the others and introduced the strange man. "This is my uncle, Albert Thompson… my father's sister's husband… he's a lawyer and he will be helping us today. He mainly deals with custody disputes but he is well aware of child welfare issues as well."

Ron should have guessed that this man was a lawyer. He certainly looked the part. He was dressed in a crisp business suit, carried a brief case, and had an aura about him that suggested that he knew more than any one human should possibly know. Ron had only felt that presence once before, in Dumbledore.

Ron watched as his father and mother shook Thompson's hand. It appeared as if they had already known about this man's involvement in Harry's case. Thompson then turned to Harry and said, "You must be Harry Potter…I've heard a lot about you. It's very nice to meet you."

Harry shook his hand politely, but looked uncertain about this strange man. He then looked up at Tonks, searching for understanding.

Tonks smiled and said, "I know this is a surprise, Harry … but it was decided at the last minute that we needed a 'real' lawyer to help us with all the legal aspects of your case. The Or…. organization asked if I knew of anyone, and I suggested my uncle. We were lucky that he could help us on such short notice."

Harry glanced over at Ron looking like he was still confused and somewhat angry that he had no been consulted about this particular detail. Ron shrugged at him to convey that he knew nothing about this.

Sensing his apprehension, Thompson spoke up. "Harry, sometimes prosecutors get a little overzealous when they question minors. I'm going to be present to be sure that your rights are not violated in anyway."

"Oh," Harry said lamely, seeming to understand now.

"Oh good…you're here…" said a woman's voice, as she approached them from an adjoining corridor. Her stiletto heals clicked loudly on the marble tiling adding to her air of importance. "Right on time…"

"Hello again," said Ron's father, attempting to be friendly as he greeted Harry's social worker.

"Yes, hello," Mrs. Mitchell responded curtly. She had noticed the older gentlemen standing with them and was eyeing him warily.

"Margaret Mitchell, I'd like you to meet Albert Thompson… he will be Harry's representative during his testimony today," Tonks explained.

"You are opting to have another lawyer present?" asked Mrs. Mitchell, looking quite confused.

"Yes, I don't often deal with these types of issues and I decided to call in for reinforcements," Tonks said smoothly.

Mrs. Mitchell still looked quite startled. "Oh well… it's nice to meet you Mr. Thompson, but may I ask your credentials?"

Thompson went into a brief history explaining his line of work as a lawyer and the types of cases he had overseen. Bored by the heady conversation, Ron turned to look at Harry leaning on his crutches behind them to make sure he was alright. Much to his surprise Harry had his head cocked to one side like he was listening to someone, but there was no one talking to him. Harry even nodded at one point like he was agreeing to something.

"Harry?" Ron asked, hoping that his friend wasn't touched in the head.

Snapping out of his daze Harry said, "Yeah?"

"You alright?"

"I'm fine."

Ron knew he was going to say that. Feeling somewhat agitated that Harry still couldn't confide in him today he turned towards Tonks. He motioned her over to them feeling like he had to get a few things straight on Harry's behalf. Tonks took a step towards the pair and leaned in.

"Tonks," he whispered, "does your uncle know about _us_?"

Looking back to make sure they we're overheard she responded, "Yeah, for the most part. He found out about our world when his brother-in-law married my Mum. But I don't think he truly comprehends it all."

"Can he be trusted?" Harry asked now.

"I've known him my whole life. I trust him implicitly," she said quickly. "But if it helps, Harry, I'm going to obliviate my uncle later so he doesn't remember any of this." She smiled at them and gave them wink before turning back to the other adults.

"If you are satisfied, are we ready to proceed?" asked Thompson, glancing at his watch as if to illustrate they were not going to stand here all day waiting.

"Well… er… there's just one little problem," Mrs. Mitchell explained.

"What's that?" asked Tonks, looking apprehensive.

"Petunia Dursley has appealed to the courts and has arranged for visitation rights. She wishes to speak to Harry before he testifies. The prosecutors have even allowed for this before they interview Harry today."

"What!" they all exclaimed.

Ron felt his heart sink in despair. Don't they know how horrible that woman is to Harry?

The social worker held up her hand in defense. "I know; it's not pleasant news. But I'm powerless to stop her. And as of now we have no proof that she caused Harry any abuse or neglect."

"Proof? What more proof could you need? You saw Harry in the hospital. He was starved to death! She didn't feed him and she certainly didn't stop her husband from hurting him!" Ron's mum screeched.

Ron saw Harry's face pale instantly, and glanced around uncomfortably hoping that no one else had heard his mother's remark. Ron pulled on his mother's arm and said, "Shh… not so loud…"

"Listen, I understand that. And I agree with you. But Harry hasn't admitted to me anything that could be incriminating against Petunia. And as it stands, he is only pressing charges against his uncle."

"We're his guardians now. What if we refuse?" his father asked.

"I'm afraid it wouldn't do you any good. She's got a court order. If you refuse you risk police involvement," she explained. "She's already here, waiting in one of the consultation chambers."

"Why didn't you tell us this last night," said Ron's father.

"I only just learned of the visitation rights this morning," Mrs. Mitchell explained, looking quite tense.

All the adults started to voice their opinions at once, but they stopped when they saw Harry take a hesitant step forward on his crutches.

"I'll do it," Harry suddenly piped.

Ron couldn't believe what he had just heard. No good could come of Harry having to speak to his awful aunt.

"What?" asked Tonks.

"You don't have to Harry… we'll find a way around this…" Ron's father tried.

"There is no way and I don't want you to get in trouble. I'll talk to her," he said softly.

The Weasleys tried to protest again, but a single look from Harry was enough to quiet them down again.

"Mrs. Mitchell?" Harry asked.

The social worker sighed and nodded. She then led them down the corridor to a room at the end. Pausing outside the close door, she turned around to address them when it appeared all five of them planned on following Harry inside. "I'm afraid that you are going to have to all wait out here… Mrs. Dursley has arranged to speak to her nephew alone…"

There were some sighs and disgruntled groans, but they were obviously left with no choice.

Harry gave them feeble smile and said, "I'll be alright. What's the worse that could happen?"

Ron wanted to say_, "That horrible woman is going to make you feel less than human like she always does and somehow convince you not to testify… that's what!"_ But he didn't. Ron watched helplessly as Harry allowed the social worker to open the door for him, and he crutched his way inside closing the door quickly behind him.

Again, Ron felt someone brush past him but saw no one there. He then heard someone curse softly and what sounded like someone hitting the door frame with their fist. He was starting to wonder if maybe it wasn't his imagination after all. He had enough experience with this sort of thing to recognize the signs. Glancing around he saw the others had moved a short distance down the hall to wait on some benches.

He quietly whispered, "Sirius?"

"Shh…" Sirius whispered in his ear as he tapped him gently on the shoulder in reassurance.

Ron smiled, knowing that Harry's godfather had found a way to come with him after all. It must have been Harry's invisibility cloak that Sirius had stowed in the knapsack that Ron saw him carrying earlier. It was just too bad that Sirius hadn't made it through the door in time to be with Harry when his aunt confronted him.

Ron made his way over to the benches to sit beside his parents to wait. He prayed that whatever his aunt had to say to Harry that he would remain strong and remember that he was doing the right thing by testifying against his uncle.

An ache had formed in the pit of Ron's stomach and he felt hollow inside. He wanted nothing more than to be by Harry's side right now, holding him… telling him everything was going to be alright.

He closed his eyes and leaned back… hoping that for once Petunia Dursley would do the right thing and care about her nephew enough not to upset him.

* * *

Harry wasn't sure what to expect when he had quickly closed the door behind him. All he was thinking about was keeping Sirius out. It was one thing to have him present when he was testifying it was quite another for him to observe the true relationship Harry had with his relatives. That was something he never wanted anyone to see. 

He turned around slowly and saw his aunt seated across the room at a table, her arms crossed over her chest, her face looking quite grim.

Not knowing what else to do, Harry set his crutches against the wall and hobbled towards his aunt. He sat down beside her at the only available chair and looked up at her warily.

"A-aunt Petunia?" he asked cautiously, wondering why she had wanted to see him.

Looking at her closely now, he noticed that she had some fading bruises on her face and neck that she had attempted to cover up with makeup. The black eye she had the last time Harry had seen her had faded completely, but now she sported a bruise on her right cheek that looked to be quite fresh. It appeared that Vernon was still being quite violent with her and Harry wondered what her clothing was able to hide. As a victim of abuse, Harry knew all to well that it's what people didn't see that hurt the worst. He was pleased, however, to see that her arm was no longer wrapped in a sling, so maybe it wasn't as bad as he thought.

Harry suddenly realized that he pitied his aunt, despite the hardship that she had caused him over the years. He wanted to reach out and tell her that she could get help too… that she could leave Vernon… but he knew in his heart that there was nothing he could say to help her or make her understand.

"Vernon is home now," she began after a long silence. Her voice sounded choked and unsure.

Harry nodded, having already learned this information. Vernon had suffered from broken arm, a severe concussion, and a ruptured spleen from the accident and had undergone two different surgeries while at the hospital. His uncle had been released once he had stabilized and was now awaiting trial, still unable to work.

Unfortunately, Harry would have been able to guess that Vernon was home now from the evidence on his aunt's face. He couldn't help but wonder how Dudley was faring, though he had never known his uncle to strike out at his son.

"How is he?" Harry asked softly, not sure if it was the right thing to say.

She frowned at his question. "He's still in a lot of pain from the accident and is dr-" she paused here for a moment before continuing, "taking a lot of medication…"

He was sure that his aunt had almost said "drinking." Harry knew that drinking while on pain medication could be dangerous, but it was obvious that even Vernon's ails weren't enough to stop him from taking his aggression out on his wife.

"I see you're still injured as well. I would have thought that those fr-… people would have healed you by now," Petunia replied, looking him up and down.

"They did," Harry mumbled, realizing his aunt probably didn't want to hear the details of how he was healed and the charade they were using to pretend that he was still injured.

"What was that?" she asked sharply.

"N-nothing …"

"How are you?" she asked, her voice cold and devoid of emotion now.

Harry looked at her, surprised by the strained pleasantries. "Fine," he replied. She never cared to ask about him before, so why ask now?

His aunt looked away, staring at the table as if trying to find strength from the wooden grains. Harry knew she was figuring out what she was going to say next. After several long moments of silence, she turned back to look at him. "They tell me that you've chosen to testify against your uncle…" she said forced calmness.

Harry nodded and tried to swallow the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. He knew this was going to come up in their conversation, but that didn't mean he was any more ready for it.

"This is still all your fault, you know, "she said, her voice began sounding strained and tearful the longer she talked. "And now you have a chance to put it right."

When Harry looked deep into her eyes there was such fierce determination there behind the glassy tears that were gathering that Harry felt himself taken aback.

"W-what do you mean?" he asked, feeling somewhat afraid now.

"You are going to tell those people that your uncle and myself have never laid a finger on you or caused you harm in anyway," she replied firmly.

Horrified by what she was asking, Harry pushed himself back in his chair, trying to distance himself as much as possible. "B-but… I already s-said that I would d-do it…"

"I don't care! You are going to make this right! It's the least you could do for us for taking you in and caring for you all these years!" She said, her voiced choked with emotion as a tear rolled down her face. "Do you hear me?"

"I c-can't… even if I tried to b-back out, th-they will still go through with the t-trials…" he tried to explain. "The other d-driver d-died…"

"You have to do something! You have to try!" she pleaded. "You don't know what he's like now!"

Harry found he couldn't say anything in return. He felt sick and wanted nothing more than to get away from his aunt, hating that he might somehow be indirectly the cause of the more direct abuse she was now suffering because he was gone. His eyes filled with tears as guilt and regret for set in. It was never supposed to be this way.

"I c-can't..."

Seeing that she wasn't getting to him yet, his aunt began to disparage him. "You worthless son of a bitch! I can't believe you won't help me. You're just a freak! Just like your parents were _freaks_! The least you could do is make up for all of the hardship you Potters have caused us. You are going to use your abnormal-ness, or whatever it is that you do, to make sure that Vernon doesn't go to jail!"

Harry felt himself shaking slightly and he closed his eyes as he listened to his aunt belittle him. He gripped the arms of his chair tightly and stared down at his lap, unaware of how much this looked like a submissive posture. He momentarily forgot that he no longer had to listen to her… that he had a family that cared about him, a godfather that would do anything for him, and a boyfriend who loved him unconditionally… all he could think about was how much this felt like every other time his aunt ever yelled at him. He was suddenly that small little boy, alone in the world, listening to the hateful words being spat from the mouth of the one person in this world who was supposed to care about him.

"You listen to me, boy!" Petunia yelled, grabbing Harry's upper arm tightly in her hand when it appeared to her as if he wasn't paying attention. Harry opened his eyes wide in shock and stared down at her hand and then up into her face as he tried to pull away. She was gripping him painfully and Harry knew that it was going to leave a bruise. "You caused your uncle to become bankrupt. And I already told you that the car is a complete write-off and insurance won't cover it. And now we have to deal with all of these court fees because of you. You knew we were having money problems as it was! We can't possibly afford to pay off this law suit if your uncle loses his case! Why are you doing this to us?"

"I-I'm n-not doing this to y-you…" Harry tried to explain, pulling his aunt's hand off his arm. "This isn't m-my fault!" He rubbed his sore arm, looking at her incredulously.

"It is too. I told you not to contact your freak friends to help you and you disobeyed me completely!" she screeched. "Now everyone knows about how Vernon has had to deal with you!"

"N-no one would have ever known if V-vernon wasn't d-drinking and d-driving!" Harry yelled, finally finding the strength to defend himself. He never wanted any of this out in the open to begin with. And he certainly hadn't brought it upon himself. He stood up from his chair and backed away from the table, determined not to listen to this any longer.

"You made a promise… your better not tell those people our dirty little secrets…"

"I d-don't have choice now," Harry replied firmly. "I'm s-so s-sorry if I've caused you any pain." And he meant it to. He hated knowing that his actions had caused her to suffer in any way, even if she had been nothing but cruel and vindictive to him over the years.

Harry turned to walk away, but stopped suddenly when his aunt called him by his name. He couldn't ever remember her doing that before.

"Harry…" she called, sobbing now. "Please… he made me come here… don't… don't testify… no good can come of it…"

She sounded so desperate and lost and frightened. Harry's heart ached for her, but he knew there was nothing he could do to save Vernon. He was going to somehow pay for his crimes, whether it was for child abuse or involuntary manslaughter… and whether or not Harry testified. Harry wanted to ensure that Vernon got what was coming to him, but he was powerless to stop it if he wanted to. There was nothing he could do to save him… or his aunt. She would have to save herself.

"I'm s-sorry…" he said again, grabbing his crutches. "If I w-were you, I'd g-get away from him as soon as you c-can…"

"How dare you!" she spat, she looked around like she wanted to throw something at him but found nothing, so she glared at him hatefully instead.

"Bye Aunt Petunia," Harry said softly, truly hoping that he would never see her again.

The Dursleys were like poison to him, and he never wanted to feel their toxic influence again.

He opened the door and stepped outside, only to see Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Tonks, the social worker, and his lawyer stand up from their benches, watching him expectantly. He really didn't feel like facing their questioning about what had happened right now, especially when he was angry with them over what he had learned last night.

Ron suddenly appeared his side looking a little more than anxious. Before he could even ask, Harry said, "I'm fine."

Ron looked at him sadly, knowing that he wasn't. "Just remember you're doing the right thing," Ron whispered to him, drawing close to his side. "We'll get you through this."

Harry nodded, knowing that he was right. Launching forward on his crutches, Harry approached his social worker. "I s-spoke to my aunt. Now let's get this interview over with. I'd like to go home."

She nodded. "Right this way."

Harry followed her quickly and could feel the others trailing after him. He knew it he'd only have to wait a few moments before Sirius tried speaking with him again. Sure enough, his godfather didn't even wait to until they were alone before whispering to him.

"Smooth move, Ace… but you're not going to keep me out of the next room. I'm going to be beside you no matter what," he said, more playfully than anything else.

"Thanks," Harry whispered back, wondering if having his godfather tag along underneath his invisibility cloak was still a good idea.

It was a long walk to the room in which he would be interviewed. Along the way, Harry was surprised to see a familiar face leaning against one of the pillars in the foyer they passed. They both did a double take as they spotted each other, not really believing what they were seeing.

He was just as Harry remembered… tall, enormously fat, and blond… quintessentially Dudley. He certainly hadn't changed… except for one thing… the black eye Dudley now had.

The black eye was a little more than alarming. Harry felt sick with realization that Dudley might be abused by his father now with Harry not around. Vernon certainly had enough reasons to be upset right now and maybe he was struggling to control his anger. Of course, Dudley could have quite possibly gotten into a fight with one of the neighborhood boys, like he was known to do from time to time, but Harry was almost positive that the black eye was from his own father.

It was certainly a surprise to see him and Harry could only assume that Dudley must have been there to support his mother. Neither spoke a word as Harry and his entourage passed by. It was probably better that they didn't. Ducking his head down, Harry hobbled by, hoping to get away as fast as possible. Daring a glance at Ron he saw that the tall red head was giving Dudley a dirty look, knowing just how much pain he was responsible for Harry suffering over the years. He had told Ron long ago about Dudley's favorite hobby… Harry Hunting. It was probably taking every fiber of Ron's being not to go punch Dudley out right now.

With Dudley out of sight and out of mind, Harry felt a certain sense of panic set in again as he thought about what he was about to do. He was beginning to have second thoughts again, especially after the way his aunt had practically begged him not to say anything. His heart began pounding from the stress and his sweaty palms were having trouble working the crutches properly.

He was exhausted from the long walk and just when he thought he couldn't go any further, they finally slowed to a stop.

"Here we are… they're waiting for you inside…" said Mrs. Mitchell, looking sad and uncomfortable.

Harry nodded and took a deep breath, knowing he needed to get this over with. He took a step forward and felt Ron step closer, practically glued to his side. He could also feel Sirius pressed tightly up against them from behind, wanting to make sure he snuck in this time. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked determined to stick with him too, as well as Tonks, and of course the lawyer.

Mrs. Mitchell looked somewhat surprised. "Oh, I'm sorry… but only Harry is only allowed to have his representative present with him during his testimony," she explained.

"No way, I'm going with him. I promised him!" Ron retorted.

"I'm sorry, but that is not possible."

"Surely he must be allowed at least one of his guardians with him," Mr. Weasley pleaded.

"I'm afraid not. It is believed that children may not want to reveal everything that had has happened to them if people they care about are present. They sometimes feel the need to protect them from the truth."

"I'm not a child!" Harry complained.

"A fifteen year old is a child in the eyes of the law," Mr. Thompson explained to him.

"Can we make an exception? I hate to think of Harry testifying all alone," Mrs. Weasley tried, looking quite desperate with worry.

"No, I'm sorry," said Mrs. Mitchell.

Harry turned towards Ron, knowing that he would be the most upset about this. "I'll be alright."

"But-" Ron tried to protest.

"Don't worry about it," Harry reassured him. Leaning forward slightly he whispered, "Besides, Sirius will be with me."

Ron looked up to where Sirius's face might be and gave a determined look, as if to say "_Take care of him."_

Mrs. Weasley reached out to hug Harry and he soon found himself in her bone crushing embrace. "If you need us… we'll be right outside… I don't know what that awful woman said to you, but we love you and we're so proud of you for going through with this."

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley," Harry replied, his voice barely a whisper from the lack of oxygen.

She finally let go of him after kissing him on the temple, and Harry moved towards Thompson who was now holding the door open for him. He felt a hand on his shoulder and a brush of fabric behind him and knew that Sirius was with him, whether he liked it or not. Thompson closed the door behind them, shutting out the Weasleys, Tonks, and the social worker.

Inside the interview room, there was a long conference table made of a honey colored wood. Plush beige chairs on casters had on been positioned on either side of it. The walls were painted a deep calming blue and covered with bright and colorful paintings. Harry imagined that the overall effect was meant to put someone at ease.

But being at ease was something he was not right now. Harry could feel every fiber of his being tightened in worry and anticipation, as he eyed the two lawyers already seated at the table and jotting down notes.

"Have a seat, Harry," said Thompson, pulling out a chair for him at the head of the table. Harry sat down and set his crutches behind him. Thompson sat beside him across from the other two lawyers.

No one had spoken to Harry since he had entered the room so he took a moment to glance around once more. It was then that he noticed a video camera positioned at the other end. The chair Harry was seated in was the only one that would appear on camera during the interview. And the red light indicating that it was recording was already on.

If he felt tense before, it was nothing to how he felt now. His whole body was tensing up against his will. He was terrified of telling these people what had happened to him. Could they be trusted? He was even more terrified about this video tape appearing in court, though he had been assured it would not be seen by anyone that would recognize Harry for who he really was.

Harry wasn't so much concerned about the Muggles knowing, but it could be devastating for him if the wizarding world found out about it all. With his celebrity, the media would have field day. There would be no end to his humiliation.

Harry felt a hand on right his shoulder and knew that Sirius was standing behind him. The warm weight of his hand was comforting and somehow reassuring, but it eerily reminded him of the end of last term when he retold the events that had occurred graveyard. He had been sitting in Dumbledore's office then, with Sirius behind him like he was now, as he retold that horrific night. As long ago as that evening now seemed, Cedric's death and Voldemort's resurrection were never far from his mind.

The two prosecuting lawyers finally looked up from their notes and addressed him. "Hello, Harry… thank you for coming," said the bald man in a grey business suit. "My name is Dan Bowen. And this is Arnold Smith."

Bowen gestured to the dark haired man in a navy suit beside him.

Smith nodded and said, "I am the prosecuting solicitor for the charges against a Mr. Vernon Dursley for involuntary manslaughter as a result of driving while intoxicated. I was hired by the relatives of Donald Keefer, the deceased. And Mr. Bowen works with Child Protective Services and will be handling the charges of child abuse and severe neglect against your uncle."

Harry shrugged, still feeling Sirius's hand in support.

"Before we begin, do you have any questions?" asked Bowen.

Harry nodded. "I'm giving testimony against my u-uncle? W-why d-don't my relatives have a lawyer p-present?" Harry asked nervously. It was something he had been wondering about since the men had introduced themselves.

"That's an excellent question," Smith began. "In cases of child abuse and retrieving eye witness testimony by a minor it is not necessary for cross examination, which could be potentially emotionally damaging to the minor. And the courts feel that the presence of an abuser's lawyer may cause that child to feel unduly stressed to give an accurate testimony."

"Oh," Harry responded, feeling greatly relieved.

"Anything else?"

Harry thought a moment and said, "What h-happens to my uncle it he is found g-guilty?"

"Well… that's up to the courts to decide. Sometimes people are simply put under probation and given community service with DUI manslaughter cases, if there hasn't been a repeated offense. Other times people have been given several years in prison. The charges of neglect and abuse almost always carry a prison sentence. Combined together, your uncle could be looking at a possible twenty years to life, if we play our cards right," Bowen responded.

Harry nodded, thinking about how his aunt and his cousin could possibly get on with their lives with Vernon out of the picture. Aunt Petunia hadn't been happy in a very long time and he knew it was because of his uncle's drinking. Sure Harry had probably caused a rift in the household when he was left on their doorstep, but he couldn't be the sole reason for the decline in his aunt and uncle's marriage. Maybe she and Dudley could move on…

"Anything else?"

"N-no… that's it…"

"Okay, then we're going to proceed with this interview," said Bowen, straightening his papers and putting on an air of authority. "The tape that is being recorded today will be used in both proceedings as Harry's sworn testimony. This way he does not have to fee the pressure of testifying in court."

"Harry, do you swear that the answers you will give to our following questions will be the whole truth and nothing but the truth?" asked Smith.

"I swear," he replied.

"Now, Harry, can you please describe what happened the night you were injured in the car accident…" Smith began.

Nearly half an hour later, Harry felt that the lawyers had dragged every last detail from him about the car accident, even getting him to admit that he that thought his uncle was drunk by the smell on his breath. And that Vernon had tried to drink from a bottle of whiskey while driving only to drop it in the process, causing the accident. He felt completely wiped out and his head was hurting from concentrating so hard on that single memory.

Before long, the prosecutors moved onto the report of child abuse filed by the hospital employees. Harry was reluctant to say anything and his throat had felt like it had all but closed off. His stuttering had grown increasingly worse as his anxiety increased and his mouth was dry from the effort.

Noticing his distress, Thompson asked for a few moments and handed Harry a glass of water. Bowen and Smith turned off the camera temporarily and stepped out of the room, leaving Harry alone with his lawyer… and Sirius.

* * *

_Meanwhile_… 

"I can't believe that they wouldn't let me go in there with him," Molly said tearfully. "You know he doesn't like to talk about any of this. He must be so upset."

"There, there dear," said Arthur, trying to calm his wife. "Harry will be alright. He's stronger than you give him credit for."

She nodded and dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief.

Arthur looked over at his son on the other side of his wife. Ron was sitting with his long legs stretched out in front of him and his arms crossed over his chest, looking quite upset about the whole ordeal as well. He had suspected that Ron wanted to sit with Harry during the interview, but there was nothing they could do to change the court's policies. He had already tried reassuring his son, but Ron didn't want to hear it, still angry with him over betraying Harry's trust.

Feeling restless, Arthur stood up from the bench and said, "I'm going for a walk. I'll be back in a minute."

He was not a patient waiter and he needed a distraction right now. As he got up he saw Ron lean his head onto his mother's shoulder and close his eyes, apparently relishing her comfort. Arthur knew that it would take some time to repair his relationship with his youngest son… and with Harry. He just hoped that they someday understood that he only had Harry's best interests at heart when he had made the decision to betray his trust.

Tonks had left a few moments earlier stating that she was going to get a "coke from the machine" and Arthur was curious to see what this Muggle contraption looked like. He walked the long corridor in the direction he had last seen the strange witch.

Turning the corner, he ran into someone unexpected… Petunia Dursley.

The tall horse-faced woman was leaning heavily on her obese son, crying softly into an old white handkerchief. Her red rimmed eyes were shadowed by dark circles and he wondered when it was the last time she had slept.

"Excuse us," said Dudley in a rough voice, as he tried to guide his mother away. He apparently had not recognized the red haired wizard without his robes.

Arthur stood his ground, refusing to move, and Petunia looked up in surprise. "It's you! You were the one that broke into our house!"

Dudley looked alarmed and tightened his hold over his mother's shoulders protectively. Arthur didn't say a word at first. The last time he had encountered these two he had been thoroughly screamed at and thrown out of their house… granted he did come uninvited. Looking at the pair more closely, Arthur saw the faint bruising on both of their faces, and wondered the horrors they faced now that Vernon was home.

"I don't want you coming near Harry again," he said firmly. Arthur hadn't expected to run into them, but he felt he had to say this now that he had. "I don't care if you somehow got visitation rights. You leave him alone or you will have to deal with me."

Petunia looked at him distastefully. "It doesn't matter now. The only reason I wanted to even see that brat was to convince him that testifying against my poor husband was wrong. I never want to see that ungrateful freak again."

"How dare you!" Arthur yelled. "Harry has every right to testify. Your husband abused him!"

His outburst earned them a concerned glance from the security guard stationed nearby.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Petunia muttered under breath, seething with anger now.

Dudley looked back and forth between them like he was having a hard time understanding it all.

"Oh, I think I do… and it's clear that Vernon is abusing you too," he replied, lowering his voice.

"You have some nerve. Who do you think you are, interfering with my family all the time? Leave us alone!" she spat, turning away from him.

Arthur quickly followed. As much as he hated this woman it was clear just how manipulated and miserable she was. "You can leave him you know. If you don't want to go to the Muggle authorities, our people could help you."

She turned to face him, her eyes blazing. "I would never ask help from the likes of you!"

"Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to keep it down," called the security guard from his post.

Arthur leaned closer to her and whispered, "Are you just going to stand by while your husband abuses your son as well?" He glanced at Dudley and Petunia followed his gaze to the bruised flesh that surrounded his blue eyes.

Petunia's chin began to tremble in despair. "You don't understand," she cried, tearing away from her son's supportive grasp and stalking away.

Dudley stood there dumbfounded, watching his mother's retreating form. There was apparently a lot more going on than Harry's cousin was capable of understanding at the moment.

Arthur knew that things were only about to get worse for this family. As much as he hated these people he knew they needed help. "Dudley, if you or your mother ever need any help… go to your neighbor, Mrs. Figg. She can contact us."

Dudley's face suddenly screwed up hatefully. "Leave us the hell alone!" he yelled.

Arthur watched as the young man waddled away quickly after his mother. He didn't know if anything he said had made a difference, but at least he had tried.

Giving up on the idea of finding "coke from a machine" Arthur walked back to his family, waiting for Harry. He needed to be with them right now.

No matter how poor others might see them to be, Arthur knew that his family was richer than any other. For they had what counted most… love.

* * *

"Are you alright, kid?" asked Thompson, after the prosecutors stepped out of the room. 

"They already know all this st-stuff. W-why do I have to tell them anything else?" Harry asked, feeling more and more anxious as the afternoon progressed.

"Because it helps their case. And they're already calling in several people to bear witness to your case during the trial," he explained.

"W-who?" Harry asked, feeling completely bewildered.

Thompson glanced down at this notes. "Let's see… Officer Jeperson, whom I think you met… Dr. Wang, she saw you in emergency and is acting as the representative for the hospital… and a Cynthia Wylan…"

"Ms. Wylan?" Harry asked.

"Do you know her?" asked Thompson.

"Well, she was my t-teacher… I asked her for help once…I think I was eight," he said softly. "She lost her j-job because of me. I can't believe she is still willing to testify, or that they even found her…."

He heard a small gasp of surprise from Sirius behind him and he covered it up by coughing and taking a sip of water. He sometimes forgot how little Sirius really knew about his childhood.

"All these people are willing to help put your uncle in jail. Don't you want to make sure that the courts know the facts from you before they make their decision?" he asked.

"I guess…" Harry said softly.

There was a knock on the door. "Are we all set?" asked Smith, peeking his head inside.

Thompson eyed Harry carefully and must have determined that he was ready to go on. "Yes, we may continue."

"Very good."

Smith motioned his colleague inside and turned the video camera back on. The ominous red light came on signaling Harry was on camera once again. He was left feeling quite unsettled. A hand settled on his shoulder again, this time startling him a bit, but he relaxed when he remembered that it was just Sirius, silently lending him his support.

"Let's try again, Harry…" said Bowen. "And remember, you are no longer in the care of your relatives so you don't need to be afraid of them hurting you if you tell us the truth… okay?"

Harry nodded, taking a deep breath.

"How long have you lived with the Dursleys?"

"Since- since I was one… my p-parents died in a car accident and I was sent to live with them…" He had been told this lie so many times as a child that it was an easy one to make to these lawyers now. He couldn't possibly tell them the truth; that his parents were killed by an evil wizard.

"And how long do you think you have been abused by your relatives?"

"As l-long as I can remember…" Harry admitted.

"What did your aunt and uncle to do you?" asked Bowen.

"You know, the usual stuff…" This comment caused the prosecutors to raise an eyebrow.

"Harry, there is nothing usual about child abuse. You need to be more specific," Thompson explained to Harry.

"Er… like… pushing me around and stuff…"

This obviously wasn't the response Bowen wanted, but he nodded just the same. "Who pushed you around?"

"My u-uncle… and Dudley, my cousin, sometimes."

"What about your aunt?"

Harry took a deep breath and blew it out. He had decided when he saw how pitiful his aunt looked just an hour ago, desperately pleading with him not to testify, that he wouldn't say anything about his aunt's neglect. He truly hoped she might be able to get away from Vernon and start over again.

"She was okay," he replied, looking away.

Bowen looked skeptical. "Really? Because we have hospital reports stating that you were severely malnourished when they examined you. Do you mean to tell me that your aunt was not responsible for this in any way?"

Harry shrugged, uncertain of what to say.

"Harry, your testimony will help put your uncle in jail, but we would also like to bring Petunia Dursley up on charges of neglect. But we cannot do so without your cooperation," Smith tried.

"I d-don't want my aunt to get in t-trouble… my uncle was h-hurting h-her too… she didn't have a choice…" Harry tried to explain, growing upset.

This was, however, far from the truth. Although Vernon had always had a quick temper and was prone to yelling at his wife, he had never physically assaulted Petunia, as far as Harry knew, until this summer. And he had never coerced her into mistreating Harry. Petunia was just as responsible as Vernon for Harry living in a cupboard, being given miniscule amounts of food, and being forced to do endless chores. She had even come after him with a frying pan more than once and had slapped him on occasion. But it was nothing compared to his uncle's wrath. She always left Vernon to deal with his punishments.

"Alright, Harry. We understand. We'll lay off your aunt… but we need more details about what your uncle has done to you. Can you be more specific?" asked Bowen.

"I d-don't know what to say…"

"Can you give us any examples of when he hurt you badly?" he tried again.

Harry shrugged, still reluctant to say anything especially in front of Sirius. When his godfather had first offered to secretly accompany him, Harry had felt overjoyed. He never expected Ron to be allowed in the interview room with him, though he appreciated the offer, and this was the next best thing. Sirius's silent support had been a great comfort to Harry during all of this, but that didn't make it any easier answering these men's questions.

Growing frustrated, Bowen reached into his brief case and pulled out two Polaroid pictures and placed them on the table in front of Harry.

"I hardly think this is appropriate," Thompson argued, when he saw the content of the pictures.

"This isn't anything Harry has seen before. I simply want to jog his memory," Bowen explained.

Thompson sat back and nodded, still looking distressed. "Fine, I'll allow it."

"These were taken at the hospital when you were admitted after the car accident. Looking at your injuries, can you tell us how you got them?"

There was a sharp intake of breath behind him, and the hand on Harry's shoulder tightened, almost painfully. Sirius had not seen him until after he had been healed so it must have been a great shock for Sirius to see these pictures now.

The first Polaroid was of his chest, the other was of his back. Harry winced slightly as he looked at each one, remembering just how painful those injuries had been. He had seen these once before, when the social worker had tried to make him talk about what had happened to him in the hospital. He was surprised that the Bowen had them now, though he probably worked closed with Mrs. Mitchell on child abuse cases.

Studying the photographs carefully, the bruising on his torso was more significant than he had originally thought. Dark purple, blue, red, and yellowish green marks covered most of his body. You could easily tell he had received them at different points in time because they were healing at various degrees. Angry red welts stood out on his back, signaling the awful punishment Harry had received from his uncle.

"Harry… you told the officer that you fell down the stairs… is that true?"

"N-no," said Harry, as he began wringing his hands together nervously. He wondered if he might get in trouble for lying.

"Why did you lie to the police officer and your social worker when they asked if you had been abused?" asked Bowen.

"Because… I was a-afraid… I didn't want to get in trouble for telling…" Harry admitted. "S-sorry for lying."

Both prosecutors nodded, as if expecting this answer and looked relieved that they could add this to their report.

"So can you tell us how you got these injuries?" Bowen continued.

Harry felt another squeeze of his shoulder and knew that everything was going to be okay no matter what he said.

"I c-came into the house once, l-late from work, and got the floors wet… it was raining outside," Harry explained, remembering that horrible night as if it happened yesterday. "My uncle got upset and he… and he… m-made m-me take off my shirt… and whipped m-me with his b-belt."

Harry looked up nervously, wondering if he was saying what they wanted to hear.

"It's okay Harry… go on…"

"That was the w-worse that it got… usually my uncle… he would just hit me w-when he was angry."

"Did he get angry a lot?"

Harry nodded. "He st-started drinking all the time b-because he was having financial problems."

"So he was drunk most of the time?"

Harry nodded again still wringing his hands together tightly so that his knuckles were white from the effort.

"How did he hit you?"

"With his f-fists… usually someplace that my clothes could hide…"

Bowen and Smith both looked up in surprise and added that information to their notes. They continued to pump Harry for examples. Before long Harry had even admitted to being beaten regularly, growing up in a cupboard, never receiving any new clothes or presents, and being worked like a slave. It all came sliding out, easier than he had ever expected.

Since that first attempt when he was eight, Harry had never told anyone about the beatings before. He had been so discouraged by what had happened to Ms. Wylan that he had truly believed that there was no hope left for him. Over time, he grew accustomed to his relative's treatment of him and came to expect it. After the events at the end of his fourth year, Harry had almost welcomed the abuse, feeling he deserved the beatings after what happened to Cedric.

But now he realized that his relatives had been slowly destroying him... piece by piece. Living with the Weasleys Harry could now look back and realize that if he had stayed with the Dursleys any longer he would have been committing a slow suicide. There would have inevitably been a breaking point in which Harry couldn't take it much longer.

He was lucky to have gotten out of there when he did. And he was lucky that he had so many people looking out for his well being. If it weren't for them, Harry would have never had testified today. It felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders to finally get it off his chest.

He became alarmed, however, when he saw the unsettling look on Bowen's face. "Harry… we need to ask in order to be thorough… have you ever been sexually abuse by any of your relatives?"

"No!" he answered quickly.

"You've never been touched inappropriately in any way?"

"N-no!" he answered again, suddenly very aware of Sirius was standing right behind him.

"Alright, one more thing. Can you tell us for the record who you are residing with now?" asked Smith, taking over once again.

"The Weasleys."

"Are they relatives as well?"

Harry faltered a moment as he contemplated his current living arrangements. He tried to remember what Mr. Weasley had said was their excuse for getting Harry out of the hospital before. "Er…I think they're d-distant cousins…on my father's side?"

"And how do you like living with them?"

"They're great," he said sincerely.

Smith smiled. "Okay…I think we're done here. We have already received a copy of your social worker's child assessment of your new home, and we will contact you if we have any further questions."

Bowen and Smith stood up and gathered their things, turning off the camera again. They made their goodbyes and disappeared out into the corridor.

"That's it?" Harry asked his lawyer.

"That's it," Thompson replied with a smile, looking please at how the meeting had went.

"What happens now?" Harry asked.

"Now we wait. Mr. Bowen and Mr. Smith will ensure that your testimony is heard, but ultimately it will be up to the courts to decide if your uncle is guilty or not," Thompson explained.

"How long will we have to w-wait?"

Thompson ran his hand tiredly down his face and contemplated his question. "There's no way to know for sure. Everything will begin next week. These trials happened to be scheduled successively so as soon as one ends the other will begin. How long they last all depends on how long the jury takes to deliberate. If found guilty there will be two separate hearings to determine his sentences. We could know the outcome in as little as a few weeks… or it could be a couple of months."

"That long?" Harry asked, feeling dismayed.

Thompson nodded in reply. "You did good kid," he said, reaching out to pat Harry on the shoulder. Thankfully Sirius had moved quickly enough so that they didn't have the awkward incident of the lawyer patting an invisible hand.

When Harry finally had retreated out to the corridor, he was quickly embraced by all of the Weasleys at once. His crutches had been cast aside and they nearly knocked him over with the strength of their hugs.

At first he wanted to pull away, still feeling angry over what Mr. Weasley had done to ensure he could testify. But as he sank into their warm embraces, he could feel the love radiating off them, reminding him that they would never purposely hurt him in any way.

Finding a small amount of forgiveness in his heart, he hugged them all back. He could never truly hold a grudge against these kind people. He was still uneasy about the whole issue of trust, but that was something they could work out over time. For now, he allowed himself to be cared for by his family.

"Aww…" Tonks squealed, jumping in on the action and hugging them each in turn.

They all laughed good-heartedly, pleased that this charade could finally be over and they could go back home. They said goodbye to Tonks' uncle and made sure to thank him for lending them his services today.

Harry felt exhausted after all was said and done and was relieved to finally be leaving the courthouse. The small group made their way down the front steps of the courthouse, carefully hovering around Harry to make sure he didn't fall because of his crutches. Kingsley saw them approaching and pulled the Ministry car up the curb.

They were about board the vehicle when Snape quickly strolled up to the side of the vehicle. "Arthur!" he shouted.

"What is it, Severus?" he asked.

Harry felt his heart rate increase slightly and he fingered his wand that he had carefully stowed up his sleeve. He looked about him searching for danger as he listened to the adult's conversation.

"Our situation has been compromised. A Death Eater has been spotted in the area. We have no idea if he is here for Potter or not. It's not safe for you to return to the flat and gather your things," he said quickly.

Harry looked back at his Professor, surprised to see him in jeans and a t-shirt again. The image of Severus Snape in anything other than long black robes was quite disconcerting.

"What's the plan?" Ron's father asked.

"Kingsley will drive us a short distance away and we will use the emergency portkeys to get Potter and your family to safety," Snape replied, his dark obsidian eyes searching the streets all the while for possible enemy activity. "We must move quickly."

The Weasleys, Harry, Tonks, and Severus all climbed inside the vehicle and it quickly sped away, zig-zagging down side streets as if to confuse anyone that may be following them. Harry was worried about Sirius, but he knew he had a portkey as well, if he found himself in any danger. And he had probably already Apparated away beneath the invisibility cloak.

The car finally came to a stop in an alley, away from any prying Muggle eyes. Harry didn't even have time to feel anxious about traveling by portkey again, everything was happening so quickly.

Snape reached inside his jean pocket and pulled out a Muggle mobile phone. "Everyone place a finger on the phone," he said quickly, and they complied. Only Kingsley would be left behind, in order to return the Ministry car back to where it belonged. "On the count of three… one… two… _three_!"

Harry felt a familiar pull on the back of his navel and then a dizzying sensation as his body was magically transported away to safety. When the swirling images before him finally stopped, he felt himself pitch forward only to be caught by a strong pair of arms.

He was pulled into a tight embrace and he felt tears splash down onto his cheek. Knowing that they were not his own, he looked up and discovered his godfather smiling sadly down at him.

"Sirius?" he asked, afraid that something bad had happened.

"I'm so sorry you ever left at the Dursleys… I'm sorry I was never there for you..." he said, hugging him once more.

"It's okay, Sirius… I'm fine now," Harry insisted. He pulled away feeling quite embarrassed somehow.

"I know…" he replied, wiping his tears away. "I know kiddo…"

Turning around now he saw the faces of Ron and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, watching him carefully. Tonks was talking to Snape quietly in the corner, explaining that she had to go pay her uncle a visit.

He then suddenly realized that he was standing in a room that he had never seen before. Turning back to Sirius, Harry asked, "Where are we?"

"Harry, you are at the Order's headquarters waiting to floo back to the Burrow. Welcome to my home…." Sirius replied, sweeping his arms to the side in display.

Harry glanced around at the dilapidated appearance of the room they were standing in and couldn't help but frown in distaste.

"_This really wasn't what I was expecting…"_ Harry thought.

Sirius excused himself to go speak with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley about retrieving their things from Tonks' flat later.

Harry watched as Ron approach hesitantly. "Are you okay?" he asked, afraid that Harry might give him his usual reply.

Harry thought about it for a moment and realized that he felt better than he had in days. Smiling up at his boyfriend, he reached out his hand to touch Ron's and said, "I am now."

Ron grinned and gave his hand a squeeze. They broke apart reluctantly, but they both knew that they would have time alone again later… and for now that briefest touch had to be enough.

* * *

A/N: So what to you all think? This chapter was surprisingly easy for me to write and I couldn't wait to post it. Sirius hiding beneath the invisibility cloak was a complete surprise to me and I don't know how my muse worked that one in there. It was never in the original plans. I especially liked writing the scene with Petunia. I hope I was able to convey her desperateness over her situation realistically. Domestic violence is quite complicated and battered women often go to extreme measures to protect their abusers. I know many of you disagree with me on this approach, stating it would never happen in canon, but please remember that this story is AU. Well, I would love to know what you thought. Please leave a review. 

A/N2: In case you are all wondering… this story isn't over yet. I think there are about 24 or 25 chapters total when all is said and done. In case you are wondering, _Shattered Illusions_ will only cover this summer. If I do a sequel, which I'm still not sure about, I'll explore what happens to H/R when they go back to school.

**Many thanks to all my readers and reviewers!**


	19. Homecoming

A/N: This chapter picks up where the last one left off, with some overlap. Sorry for the two month long wait.

**Chapter 19- Homecoming**

Ron could feel his heart pounding madly in his chest as the Ministry car sped away from the magistrate courthouse, where Harry had just given his testimony against his uncle. A known Death Eater had been spotted somewhere in the surrounding area, placing Harry and the three Weasley's who had accompanied him in possible danger. Fortunately, an Order member- Snape, surprisingly enough- had promptly alerted them of the possible threat and they took action to get Harry to safety quickly.

Ron hadn't ever really expected that there would be any danger in Harry testifying today. He had been so focused on making sure that Harry was okay emotionally that he hadn't even stopped to consider the lengths that the Order of the Phoenix had gone to ensure that this mission was successful. He knew, of course, that since You-Know-Who's resurrection and Harry's escape only a couple of months ago that his friend had become a prime target. But he hadn't really anticipated the fear that had firmly gripped his heart as he began to understand the reality of the situation they were in right now as they were speeding away, trying to make a desperate escape.

Ron's eyes darted wildly out the window at the passing city, looking for anything suspicious or out of the ordinary. Having never spent any considerable time in London, or the Muggle world for that matter, everything looked potentially dangerous. Even the otherwise innocent looking Muggles walking down the street somehow looked menacing to him. Ron couldn't help imagining them reaching for a wand and pointing it in their direction as their car zoomed by.

Every fiber of his being was taught with anticipation. If something went down, he was going to be ready. Raw determination to protect the one he love coursed through his veins.

Taking a deep breath, he fingered his wand that he had stowed up his sleeve and dared a look at Harry beside him. His boyfriend's face was alert, but its paleness indicated how much the stress and worry was getting to him. Ron's heart ached for him and he couldn't wait until they were all safe again, so that he could take Harry into his arms and never let him go.

Looking past Harry at the faces of Tonks and his parents, who could easily fit in the magically expanded vehicle, he could see that their faces were tight with worry as well. Ron hoped that this would all be over before too long.

The car finally came to a stop in an abandoned alley, away from any prying Muggle eyes. Snape turned around in the front seat to face them and pulled a small black object that Ron didn't recognize from his back pocket. He could only assume that this was the portkey that they would be using to reach safety. Ron could hear Harry breathing heavily beside him, and wondered how he would take portkeying yet again after the awful experience he had at the end of last term.

Ron wasn't able to contemplate this for long because Snape suddenly said, "Everyone place a finger on the phone." They all complied, everyone that is except Kingsley. He would be left behind, in order to return the Ministry car back to where it belonged. "On the count of three… one… two… _three_!"

Ron felt a familiar pull on the back of his navel and then a dizzying sensation as his body was magically transported away to safety. When the swirling images before him finally stopped, he realized where they all were. The Order's Headquarters.

He took a wobbly step forward, still feeling slightly dizzy from the magical form of transportation. Fortunately he was steadied by his parents, who had appeared on either side of him, and he leaned against their supportive arms gratefully. Oddly enough, he felt extremely tired all of a sudden. The rush of adrenaline that he had experienced as they sped away from the courthouse must have already coursed its way through his body, because now he felt devoid of any of that energy he felt before.

His parents stepped away once they were sure Ron was alright, probably discuss how they were going to retrieve all of their things. Feeling more like himself again, he quickly looked around for Harry, hoping that he had not been somehow left behind. At first Ron was confused when he didn't see his small friend right away; that is until he noticed Sirius kneeling on the ground, holding his godson in his arms.

Ron watched them thoughtfully, his head titled slightly trying to pick up on what they were saying. He idly wondered Sirius had learned about Harry while hidden beneath the invisibility cloak during his godson's testimony. It appeared as though Sirius was crying, whispering fiercely into Harry's ear, something that the rest of them could not hear.

Although curious, Ron really didn't have to ask what Sirius was whispering to Harry. The guilt was clearly written all over his face. Hidden beneath an invisibility cloak, he had heard Harry testify about what his uncle had done to him, and undoubtedly felt somewhat responsible for ever allowing Harry to come to harm. It's how they all felt about the small teen in some way; the signs that something was wrong in the Dursley household had been in front of them all along and no one had done a thing about it. If not for a random car accident, they might not ever have understood the conditions Harry was truly living in.

Ron looked upon the pair with a mixture of sadness and exhausted relief. Today had been one of the most frustratingly long days in Ron's life, and now that they had arrived safely at the Order's headquarters, he felt drained. Ron never understood until now how mentally exhausting worrying about someone could be until today.

It probably didn't help that he had been up half of the night thinking about Harry as well. Ron had slept restlessly last night wondering what today was going to hold for Harry, who had become eerily quiet after his angry tirade at his parents the night before. Between the unexpected timing of Harry's testimony and that horrible feeling of betrayal at having his innermost secrets revealed to a large group of people, he knew that Harry was far from okay. Even while at the courthouse, Harry had barely spoken a word to him.

It had been agonizing having to wait for Harry to speak with his Aunt, who had somehow received visitation rights, and waiting again while Harry testified. Ron desperately wished that he could have done something, anything, to help Harry through it all, but he had been forced abide by the legal powers that be. And he hated having to sit impatiently waiting while Harry gave his testimony against the very man that had caused him so much pain and anguish. The waiting had almost been unbearable, especially since he had planned and failed to sit with Harry during his interview.

"It's okay, Sirius… I'm fine now," Harry whispered, as he finally broke away from his godfather.

Ron sighed softly wondering if that was really true. Thankfully neither one of them seemed to have heard his soft dissent.

Sirius stood up and hastily wiped away a few stray tears, leaving Harry looking slightly embarrassed. "I know…" Sirius then said to Harry softly. "I know kiddo…"

Ron watched as Harry curiously glanced around at the room they were all standing in. Turning back to Sirius, Harry asked, "Where are we?"

"Harry, you are at the Order's headquarters waiting to floo back to the Burrow. Welcome to my home…." Sirius replied, sweeping his arms to the side in display.

Harry nodded but continued to look around at the décor of the odd room in confusion.

"Molly, Arthur… we need to discuss how the Order is going to go about retrieving your things," Sirius began, as he stepped away from his godson to speak to Ron's parents, who nodding at him with relief.

It was then that Harry turned to face him. "Are you okay?" Ron asked, approaching Harry hesitantly. His boyfriend had yet to give him a straightforward answer about anything in the last two days and he was hoping that Harry wasn't going to give him his standard reply yet again.

Harry seemed to think about it for a moment, and then smiled up at him. "I am now," he replied softly, as he reached out to touch Ron's hand.

Ron grinned back at him and gave Harry's hand a quick squeeze. They broke apart reluctantly, but they both knew that they would have time alone again later… and for now that briefest touch had to be enough.

Ron was just grateful that Harry had finally reached out to him, after being cut off emotionally from him these last few days. Although it hurt, Ron didn't mind too much that his boyfriend had all but stopped talking to him; he knew Harry had been through a lot and it was just his way of sorting it all out.

Within moments, Order members began apparating and flooing into headquarters from all over London. Some had information to report, others were just checking in from their posts before they headed home. It was an amusing sight to see so many witches and wizards clad in Muggle clothing. Some had chosen to don the standard pair of jeans and a t-shirt, but a few others were in some unusual get ups including a golf outfit, ski gear, and vacation wear. And still others were wearing a mismatch of outfits that looked more like they raided a thrift shop than trying to choose something that went together. It was clear who had experience with Muggle fashion and who did not.

The noise in the room began to grow considerably as people began talking over one another. Quite a few of the Order members would occasionally glance over at them during their conversations, but otherwise left the pair alone. Ron could tell that some were itching to introduce themselves to the Boy-Who-Lived. Harry's fame seemed to follow him everywhere. And still others looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and sadness in their faces. They all knew about the nature of Harry's home life now. It had been necessary to divulge this information to the Order members so that they would understand why it had been so important for Harry to testify today. Fortunately, none of them could ever speak about to anyone outside the organization because of the Wizards Oath they had sworn onto Dumbledore.

Feeling like they were a bit in the way, Ron and Harry retreated to a couch in the living room and sat down heavily. They both leaned back, resting their heads on the back of the couch and feeling the weight of today's events. It was clear they were both exhausted, but they were also interested in everything that was going on.

As they were listening to various conversations around the room they noticed Remus suddenly apparated into headquarters. They watched as their ex-professor surveyed the room for a moment before noticing the pair sitting on the couch.

Remus approached them quietly, looking somewhat dejected. Having no room to sit beside them on the couch, he crouched down in front of Harry, who looked on the verge of falling asleep. "Hey Harry, how did it go?" Remus asked, over the din in the room.

"A-alright," Harry replied with a shrug.

"How would you like to get those glamours and this cast off?" Remus asked, with a soft smile on his face meant to reassure the exhausted teen. He glanced down at the awkward way Harry had to hold his leg as he sat on the couch.

Harry nodded gratefully and lifted his left leg so that Remus could perform a severing charm on the cast. It broke away neatly, revealing his bare foot looking perfectly healthy. "But now I don't have a shoe…" Harry complained light-heartedly, as he wiggled his toes in the air.

"Oh… well that can be fixed," Remus replied. He pointed his wand at the discarded cast and transfigured it into a shoe to match the other one he was wearing. He then carefully placed it on Harry's foot and laced it, as if he were a small child. Harry looked too tired to protest that he was too old for such treatment. With that finished, Remus then removed the glamours on Harry's face that had simulated the scar he would've had from the accident. "Anything else?"

Harry nodded and sat up stiffly, "Can you remove the bandages around my chest, too?"

"No problem," Remus replied, and he performed a vanishing charm at Harry's torso. Harry's shirt seemed to ripple for a few moments as the spell took effect before it lay back again neatly. "That better?"

"Yeah, thanks," Harry replied, sighing in relief as he sank back against the musty couch cushions, looking much more comfortable than he did before.

Remus smiled as he stood up. "Listen, I've got to go talk to the others. I will catch up with you both later."

Harry and Ron nodded in reply, feeling too tired to have much of a conversation. Remus left them alone and joined Sirius and his parents.

Feeling somewhat bored as they waited, Ron began pointing out various Order members that he knew by name, and tried to remember what he knew about each of them. There were quite a few more Order members that he knew only by sight, having never been formally introduced to them. Harry listened to him earnestly for a while and then gestured towards Tonks and Snape, who were busy discussing something in the corner of the room.

Tonks, who had changed her appearance back to her bubble gum pink hair now that they were no longer at the courthouse, was apparently explaining that she had to go pay her uncle a visit.

"Are you sure that this is absolutely necessary risk?" Snape asked snidely, his arms over his chest as he surveyed the young woman before him.

"Yes sir," Tonks replied irritably to her former Potion's professor. Despite the attitude in the tone of her voice, it appeared that old habits died hard in the way she still addressed him. "I know that Uncle Al would never say anything, but I'd rather be safe than sorry."

"And you're positive you can perform an adequate memory charm?" he asked.

"Yes sir, they happen to be a specialty of mine," she said with a false sweetness.

"Very well," Snape replied, waving her off. "Just be sure that you don't come crawling to the Order if you make a mess of his mind."

Tonks rolled her eyes as she turned away. Catching sight of Ron and Harry watching, she gave them a wink before apparating away. Snape then looked over at the pair sitting on the couch. The expression on his face was unreadable as his gaze lingered on them for a few moments. Ron was starting to get a little creeped out by the odd way he was looking at Harry, when a tired sounding voice broke the tension.

"Severus, a word please," said Professor Dumbledore, entering in the living room with Mad Eye Moody in tow.

"Yes sir," Snape replied, giving the boys one last leveling look before he joined the headmaster, where he was now standing with Remus, Sirius, and his parents. Fortunately the small group was standing close enough to where Harry and Ron were sitting that they could overhear most of their conversation.

"About the Death Eater…" Dumbledore began. "Do we know who it was?"

"Yes, it was Avery. It was I who spotted him," Snape began. "just a street away from the courthouse."

"Is there any indication that he was after Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"None at all. He appeared to be just walking down the street," Snape replied. "As far as I know the Dark Lord didn't have any idea that Potter had been temporarily moved to London or that he was testifying today."

"Were you seen?" asked the headmaster.

"No."

"Then do we have any idea why he was in London today?" Arthur asked.

Snape shook his head. "I'm sorry sir, but I am not aware of his reasons for being there today. It could be nothing."

"Or perhaps it could be something," Moody piped in, his magical eye revolving slowly around the room, "of which you have no knowledge of."

Snape seemed to bristle at this comment, clearly offended that his spying duties were somehow lacking that he wouldn't be aware of Voldemort's plans.

"Whatever the case may be, at least Harry and the Weasleys are safe now…" Dumbledore began again.

Ron tuned the rest of their conversation out as he glanced over at Harry. The small teen beside him seemed to be watching Moody carefully. It took only a moment before the Ron could comprehend Harry's uneasiness over the ex-Auror. The Moody that Harry had known as their professor last year had been an imposter, and the one responsible for entering Harry in the Triwizard Tournament that nearly cost him his life.

Ron licked his lips, trying to figure out something he could say that would be comforting. "Harry you know that's the real Moody, right?"

"Huh? What? Er… y-yeah… I know th-that…" Harry mumbled uncomfortably.

"Okay…" Ron muttered back, realizing that he hadn't really put Harry at ease at all.

Resting his head against the back of the couch, Ron tiredly thought of something to say to help with Harry's discomfort. Talking about what happened last term would only make Harry more upset, and he was pretty high strung as it was right now. Thinking back to all the times in which he tried to cheer Harry up, he realized that he had always done so with humor. But what was funny about their current situation? Ron quietly surveyed the adults around him was suddenly struck with a funny thought. So funny that it just had to be shared.

He leaned over to Harry and whispered into his ear, "Is it just me, or does Snape like to wear his jeans a little tight?"

Harry looked up at him in surprise and dared a quick look at their Potions' Master, only to find that Ron was absolutely right. They both busted out laughing, only to quickly have to stifle their giggles after the curious glances they got from the adults around the room, who couldn't figure out what they were laughing at so hard.

Snape's jeans did hug him a little tightly, but it was even scarier to Ron was that the greasy git didn't look half bad. With the worn t-shirt and trainers he was wearing and his oily hair pulled back into a pony tail instead of hanging in his face, he looked a lot different. Not exactly good, but different. Wizarding robes did nothing for him.

As if sensing what he was thinking, Harry smiled up at him and playfully whispered, "You're right… but um, Ron… w-why are you looking? See something you like."

Ron felt himself blanch at this comment and was a little more than stunned by Harry's behavior. That comment, while fun, was completely out of character for him. But then again, they had only just begun to understand their sexual identities so perhaps these types of thoughts had been bubbling near the surface all along, just waiting to come out. Actually thinking about what Harry just said, Ron felt a sudden revulsion rising up inside of him.

"What! I wasn't looking? It's not like that… ew… Ew! Ew, ew, ew…." Ron said in disgust, forgetting to talk to Harry in a lower voice. "Why would you say something like that?"

"Hey, I didn't start this conversation," Harry feebly protested, with his hands up in a placating gesture.

They earned curious glances from the others once more, and they glanced around nervously, hoping that the nature of their conversation hadn't been overheard.

Ron dared one last look at their professor, and then shivered in horror. He had only been trying to be funny. How could this conversation go suddenly wrong? "I can't believe you would put something like that in my head. I gotta get out of here before I lose it completely," he said sarcastically, jumping up from the couch and leaving the living room.

Harry thankfully followed him out into the hallway, laughing again loudly once he saw Ron tugging at the hair on the sides of his head in apparent frustration. "What's wrong Ron?" he asked jokingly.

He looked down at Harry with a mixture of mirth and horror. "Ugh! Is it possible to take out your brain and scrub it raw to forget something like that?" he asked, unable to stop thinking about the stupid conversation he stupidly had initiated.

Harry smirked at him. "I-I don't think so."

"No, better yet… obliviate me!" Ron shouted, looking deadly serious now.

Harry shook his head, laughing still. "Ron, I'm not going to do that…"

"Then don't ever say something like that again. Ew! The man is like… old!"

"No he's not… he's like thirty five or something…" Harry said, looking up at the ceiling like he was trying to do the math in his head.

"He's still twenty years older than us… wait! Why are we still discussing this?" Ron shouted indignantly.

Harry looked almost indignant now. "I don't know! You started it!"

"I know… don't remind me!" Ron moaned.

He was feeling a little off balance now. What he had intended to be playful joking had turned into something more. Although Ron had had a crush on another guy before, he only ever truly been interested in Harry. Contemplating what other wizards looked like, even someone as odd as Snape, was completely new to both of them. He suddenly wasn't feeling as comfortable with this conversation as he had before and quickly looked to change the subject.

Thankfully Harry, who looked as uncomfortable as him now, beat him to it. "So this is the Order's headquarters? I expected it to be somehow different," he said.

Ron nodded. "Yeah, me too when I first saw it. But it couldn't be in a better location, being in a Muggle neighborhood in London. And its unplottable and all that. I guess Sirius inherited when his mum passed away, but no one has touched it since then so it needs a lot of work."

"You can say that again," Harry replied, looking around at its dilapidated appearance from the hallway. "How long has the Order been here?"

"Since You-Know-Who returned, so a few months," Ron stated matter-of-factly. He was never sure how to phrase You-Know-Who's return to Harry because he didn't want to upset his friend or painfully remind him of his indirect role in resurrecting the most feared dark wizard in the world. But the topic still had to be dealt with occasionally.

"A few months. Couldn't anyone clean up a bit?" Harry asked, running his finger over a desk in the hallway and discovering a layer of dust.

Ron shrugged. "I know it looks bad, but the house is in much better shape than when I first saw it. Trust me; it was a lot dustier and full of cobwebs before the Order came along. Everyone is so busy with everything that no one really takes notice of a bit of dust or bother cleaning it up. And Kreacher refuses to lift a finger to clean anything."

"Kreacher?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, the Black's house elf. He was still here when Sirius opened up the house. Nasty little thing too, always mumbling horrid stuff under his breath about Sirius being a traitor to his family and bringing _'mudblood filth into his mistresses house."_" Ron croaked out, imitating the pathetic house elf.

"That's horrible!" Harry exclaimed.

"I know. He was like brainwashed or something to trust only dark wizards. That's why it's best to leave the horrid little thing alone. If you see him, just stay out of his way. I really don't trust him," Ron added.

Harry nodded taking in this bit of information.

"And we don't dare ask him to do anything after the way he reacted last time- you should have seen the fit he had- and we can't order him to leave either. It's just too risky," said Ron.

Harry nodded again, apparently understanding the horrible implications for the Order if the house elf ever revealed to a dark witch or wizard the location of their headquarters.

Ron continued, "You wouldn't believe the infestations this old house has and the dark objects we keep finding. Like I said before, dad thought about moving us in here to help with the cleaning and all but Mum refused."

"Dark objects?" Harry questioned.

"Yeah… didn't you know? Sirius's family were all dark witches and wizards."

Harry blew out a long breath. "He did mention something about that before, but it's still hard to believe…"

"Well, here let me show you," Ron said, leading Harry into the drawing room. He stopped in front of the large tapestry that illustrated Sirius's family tree and allowed Harry to take it in by himself for a few moments quietly. "This is where Sirius's name used to be before his mum blasted it off."

Harry stared at the scorch mark and then traced Sirius's name back to all the unbelievable characters in his family tree. Shock and revulsion clearly shone on his face as realization dawned upon him.

"I c-can't believe that Sirius and Malfoy are related!" Harry shouted in disbelief.

Ron nodded sadly. "Actually most pureblooded families are related in one way or another. I think my family is somehow connected to the Black's as well, but I couldn't begin to tell you how."

Harry continued to pump him for information about the tapestry, and Ron did the best he could knowing that Sirius would probably have to put Harry straight on most of these things.

After a while Ron decided to continue to show him around the old house, giving Harry a guided tour. After surveying the kitchens and the ground floor, they sneaked past the portrait or Sirius's mum and went upstairs. Ron had not yet told Harry about Buckbeak residing at the Order's Headquarters, and he couldn't wait to see the look on Harry's face when he saw his old friend again. It was all Harry could do to contain his surprised look, while he made sure to greet the Hippogriff properly. Once he was acknowledged, Harry wasted no time rushing up to the large creature and stroking his feathers. The visit seemed to be a welcome relief after all the stress they had these last few days.

"What is he doing here?" Harry asked.

"Hagrid tried to introduce him back to wild, but it didn't take. Says that he wasn't welcome in his herd any longer. He didn't want to risk Buckbeak being seen by the wrong people, so he was brought here," Ron replied. "Nothing better than two wanted criminals hanging out together."

Harry snorted at the bad joke, as he continued to pet the Hippogriff. After feeding Buckbeak some dead ferrets and making their goodbyes, the quickly finished touring the old home. Because they were both extremely tired, they didn't stop to find an abandoned bedroom in order to have another few moments alone together. Although neither had said anything, they wanted to wait until they were sure they had some privacy. Realizing that they were probably missed by now, they made their way back downstairs hoping that they would be able to floo back to the Burrow soon. They stopped short of the entryway of the living room when they heard the loud voices coming from inside.

"-just an overgrown irresponsible child!" Ron heard his mother shout irritably.

"Molly!" said his father, admonishing his wife.

Ron and Harry peeked around the corner and were surprised to see that the room had cleared out considerably. The only Order members that were left were Remus, Sirius, and Ron's parents. They were so absorbed in their heated conversation that none of them had noticed the boys standing just a few feet away.

Sirius looked indignant and it was suddenly clear who his mother had been talking about. "And what is that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"I just can't believe you would do something so irrational and foolish!" his mother complained. Her face was bright read with fury and his arms were crossed over her chest.

Ron couldn't believe how his mother was acting. He had always known that she didn't care for Sirius, but her behavior was ridiculous. Harry didn't need to see his godfather and his guardians fighting right now. He needed everyone's support now more than ever.

"Listen, I just wanted Harry to have someone with him while-" Sirius tried to explain.

Ron's father sighed. "We understand that, Sirius, but you took quite a big risk. What if you had been seen? Do you even understand what could have happened?"

"I don't need you to tell me any of that! I know perfectly well the consequences if I'm captured again!" Sirius shouted.

"Then why the risk?" Remus asked, looking just as angry with his friend as the Weasleys were.

"Because you didn't tell me the whole story!" Sirius shouted, glaring at Ron's mum.

"What?" she asked, looking bewildered.

"I saw the pictures they took of my godson at that Muggle hospital. I saw what that bastard did to him!" he yelled. "Why didn't you tell me it was that bad!"

Glancing at Harry's face, Ron saw him go suddenly pale and deathly still. Ron felt his heart clench and he reached out to Harry, grabbing his arm. He wasn't sure if he wanted to pull the boy into a hug or pull him away from this scene.

"Sirius, we told you everything we knew," Ron's mum replied, her voice softer now as she realized how upset Sirius must have been over whatever he saw.

"I know… it's just… I knew it was bad but…I never imagined…" Sirius tried to explain, his voice becoming choked with emotion. "I suspected… but never could I have imagined…"

Remus reached out to pat his friend on the shoulder when he noticed the boys standing in the hallway. The other adults followed his gaze and stiffened when they realized that they had been overheard. No dared to speak for a few moments, unsure of what to say.

Realizing that none of the adults seemed to be capable of salvaging this situation at the moment, Ron tugged Harry reluctantly forward and nonchalantly said, "Can we go home now? We're tired and hungry."

His mother sniffed and said, "Yes, yes of course. We were just-"

"We want to go home now," Ron said firmly before his mother could finish trying to justify the conversation they were just having. His mother nodded and looked to her husband for support.

"Gentleman, we need to be leaving now. We will be in contact…er- for well, you know," his father managed.

Sirius and Remus both nodded, seeming to understand that vague comment. Turning toward Harry now, they each gave the small teen a hug and said goodbye, promising to visit again soon.

Looking very much dead on his feet now, Ron led Harry over to the fireplace to where his parents were waiting for them to floo back to the Burrow. Within moments, they were traveling past unfamiliar fire grates until they finally landed into a very familiar and welcoming sight. Home.

* * *

Harry couldn't help but feel unbelievably relieved as he finally stepped through the fireplace's hearth and into the kitchen of the Burrow. He had heard people use the term home sick before and could never understand how anyone could ever miss a place so much. For most of his life he had never felt any ties to a place like that and he certainly never felt that way about Number Four Privet Drive. Sure, he had missed Hogwarts whenever he had been sent back the Dursleys over the summer, but a school is not the same place as a home. 

The Burrow was a home, and Harry had no idea how much he missed it these last few days until he finally had returned to it. Besides the anxiety he had been feeling over having to testify, there had been a gnawing ache inside of him that he could not describe until now. He had been home sick.

Smiling as he took in his surroundings, he made sure to step out of the way as Ron and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley flooed in behind him.

Noticing his lopsided smile, Ron smiled back and said, "Alright there, Harry?"

"Yeah, I am," he replied.

"Hey look, all our stuff is already here," said Ron, pointing to the pile of miniaturized boxes and suitcases on the table.

His mother peaked over his shoulder and breathed a loud sigh of relief. "Oh good, I was wondering how long we'd have to wait to retrieve all of our things. I hope they haven't missed anything."

"I'm sure Dumbledore was thorough when he packed for us," Mr. Weasley reassured her. "And if anything was missed, I'm sure Tonks can retrieve it for us."

"Arthur, could you possibly?" she asked, gesturing to the pile on the table.

"Yes, of course," Mr. Weasley replied. Using his wand he cast a levitation charm on the whole lot and headed for the living room with the small parcels in tow. Soon there was bright lights flashing on and off from the adjoining room as Mr. Weasley cast spell after spell re-enlarging boxes and banishing objects back to their proper place around the Weasley household. More than once, Ron and Harry had to dart out of the way as an object flew through the air back to its proper spot in the kitchen. It was quite an amusing sight to see.

Glancing their way, Mrs. Weasley said, "It's so late. You dears must be starving. Give me a moment and I'll whip something up for you." She then began busying herself in the kitchen muttering under her breath about the state it had been left in while she was gone. "My goodness, this place is an absolute mess! Fred, George? Ginny? Bill!" she called. "Where are those blasted children?"

Harry and Ron seated themselves at the kitchen table to wait patiently for dinner and to keep out of the way. Finally sitting down again after such a long day, he felt extremely tired. Harry couldn't remember the last time he felt so exhausted, but if he let his mind linger on it he might have come up with the evening after the third task. Honestly all he wanted to do right now was go upstairs to bed, but he knew there was no point in arguing with Mrs. Weasley when it came to skipping meals. So he resigned himself to eat at least something before he went to sleep.

After everything that had happened today, Harry could feel himself becoming withdrawn again. A part of Harry still wanted to be angry with Mr. Weasley's betrayal at allowing Dumbledore to tell the Order what had happened to him. He hated that so many people now knew about what his childhood had been like. Feelings of shame and embarrassment washed over him whenever he thought about it. But he knew that these people had continued to put their own lives at risk to care for him and deep down he knew without a doubt that they would never intentionally hurt him in anyway. He could never truly hold a grudge against these kind people, and he was determined to show them how much he appreciated everything they had already done for him. He made up his mind to say something about it later.

Mrs. Weasley had already begun setting the table and placing rolls and glasses of pumpkin juice at each place setting. Harry rested his chin on the palm of his hand to prop his head up, and thought about possibly grabbing a roll to nibble on. He had just started falling asleep at the table, when there was a loud commotion at the kitchen door. Four red heads came barging in enthusiastically, startling both Harry and Ron, who was close to falling asleep as well. They each tossed the brooms they were carrying into the corner before shutting the door.

"You're home!" Ginny exclaimed, running to her mother's arms and embracing her tightly.

Fred and George sat down loudly and began grabbing the rolls that had been put out already.

"Hi ya, Harry!" They both exclaimed.

Harry yawned loudly and waved at them, feeling too tired to enter into a conversation with those two.

"We were wondering-" Fred began.

"-when you might get back-"

"-heard you got-"

"- into a bit of trouble-"

"-with Death Eaters-"

"-and had to portkey back to the Orders headquarters," finished George, through a mouthful of bread.

"Yes, but we are all back now, safe and sound," said Mr. Weasley, leaning against the doorway to the kitchen now surveying his family with adoration.

"We're glad to see that," said Bill, approaching his father and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "We were quite worried here."

"So worried that you decided to play some Quidditch while you waited for our return," his father replied, nodding to the brooms they had each carried in.

"Well, you know… had to keep these three distracted," Bill replied as he gestured to his younger siblings, looking sheepish.

"Besides, your little adventure-"

"-was all over with by the time-"

"-we found out about it."

"Ol' Mad Eye Moody came by-"

"--to check the wards-"

"-and deliver our things-"

"-you all decided to leave behind."

Harry looked back and forth between the twins across from him and decided that he was too tired to keep track of who said what. It was easier to think of them as one person sometimes. He glanced over at Ron beside him, who gave him a shrug in reply. Ron really didn't appear to be following this conversation either.

"So tell us the exciting details!" Gred and Forge said.

"Not now," said Ron's father, intervening before his twin sons could terrorize Harry any further. "Besides, there's nothing to tell."

"Awww…. Dad-"

"-you're no fun!"

"Stop it now," scolded Mrs. Weasley as she finished setting the last of their dinner on the table. "I don't want you two bothering Harry, or Ron, for that matter with your incessant questions."

Everyone sat down at the table now and began helping themselves to the impromptu feast Mrs. Weasley was able to prepare. Fred and George pouted as they filled their plates, clearly wanting to know more about escaping from the Death Eaters. Harry smirked at their disappointment. Whatever they thought had happened, it was probably more exciting then the actual events that took place today anyway.

Harry was surprised to find himself taking more than one helping at dinner. He hadn't really eaten anything in the last two days because of his nerves and he found that he was completely famished now. Thankfully he had taken his nutritional potion that Mrs. Weasley had handed him, and he was hoping that his stomach wouldn't reject the food he was eating now after practically starving for two days. He ate hungrily and listened to the chatter of conversations around the table.

Fred and George were explaining to Ron what they had been up to the last couple of days, and Harry wasn't surprised when they revealed that Ginny had been a victim of yet another one of their experiments. Apparently they had finally been able to remove the feathers only a few short hours ago, though he was unable to follow what had caused her to sprout feathers in the first place. Bill was discussing Order business with his father, and Mrs. Weasley was peppering Ginny with questions about whether or not she had completed her assignments for school while they were gone. There was also some conversation about making a visit to Diagon Alley soon to get their supplies. It was times like these Harry truly felt like he missed out on having a family with siblings growing up. He loved this family dynamic.

Harry was grateful that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley always seemed to know when he wasn't ready to talk about something and relieved that the conversation about what had happened today had been dropped early. He had been able to avoid the awkwardness of trying to explain all that had happened. The only the thing that had made him uncomfortable was the way Ginny kept glancing over at him. He knew that there was something on her mind that she might want to discuss with him, but he wasn't really sure he wanted to know what that was.

Once they had all had their fill, Bill made his goodbyes and retreated back to headquarters where he was staying temporarily. Ron's father followed him, explaining that he wanted to check on a few things with the Order as well. The rest of the Weasley siblings made their way upstairs to get ready for bed. Ron had presumably assumed that his friend had been right behind him as he made his way upstairs, but Harry had stayed behind for a few moments so that the could speak with Mrs. Weasley instead.

"What is it, dear?" she asked, when she noticed that he had not gone up with the others.

"I just w-wanted to say thank you for everything for your family has d-done for me… and apologize for how I've b-behaved. I didn't mean to be so rude b-before… I was just angry that Mr. Weasley had made a decision without asking m-me," Harry tried to explain, knowing that he wasn't doing a very good job.

"Harry, you don't have to apologize. You have every right to feel the way that you do. I'm just sorry that we didn't figure it all out earlier…" she added.

"But you d-didn't know…"

Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "I should have known… I knew you didn't like going back there every summer… I just didn't-" seeing the pained look on Harry's face, she stopped there. "It doesn't matter. It's all over with. Everything is going to be alright now."

Harry nodded, wanting to believe what she was saying. Mrs. Weasley pulled him into a hug, squeezing him tight, and kissed him on the temple. "Everything will be alright now," she whispered again, rocking him a bit.

When she finally pulled back, she looked down at him with a soft smile on her face, but Harry could see the tears in her eyes. He knew she was sad for him and everything he had gone through, but she knew better than to push him when to talk about things when he wasn't ready.

"Thanks," Harry whispered, hoping she would understand.

"Your welcome," she replied softy. "Alright, off to bed with you now… you look dead on your feet."

Harry nodded and said good night. He finally made his way upstairs, grateful to finally going to bed after such a long day. Unfortunately, he had only gone about halfway up, when he accidentally collided with Ginny on the landing just outside her bedroom door.

"Oohh… sorry!" Ginny said quickly, her face blushing from embarrassment, as she glanced down and realized Harry was seeing her in her nearly threadbare pajamas.

"It's a-alright," Harry quickly replied, feeling a little awkward now. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."

He had only made it up one step when he felt Ginny tug on his sleeve. "Wait… Harry. Before you go, can I ask you a question?"

"Kind of tired," he replied, yawning at the same time. He was too tired to talk to Ginny right now, but he didn't want to be rude.

"Please?" she asked.

Seeing the look in her eyes, he turned around and stepped back onto the landing with her. "Uh… sure, I g-guess…"

Ginny stared at him blankly for a few moments, seeming to wrestle with whatever she wanted to ask him. It was the same look she had been giving him all throughout dinner.

"W-what is it?" Harry prodded, starting to feel a little impatient.

"You went to testify against your uncle today didn't you?" she finally whispered.

Harry felt his insides grow cold, dreading where this conversation was going. "Yeah, he was drunk when he got into the accident and-"

"That's not what I meant… we overheard what you told Ron about your relatives… what they did to you… that's why you testified today isn't?" she asked, her eyes searching his now for some kind of understanding. "Because your uncle was hurting you?"

He had really not expected to be having this conversation with Ginny of all people. The twins, maybe- because they were kind of pushy that way- but not Ginny. She was usually so reserved around him that this more confident side of her was alarming and he wondered what her intentions were. Harry knew he couldn't lie; she had already figured out the truth, but why was she asking him all of this. Why couldn't anyone just let him be?

"Y-yes," he finally managed.

Ginny's eyes seem to glaze over a bit as she nodded in understanding. Finally after a few silent moments, she softly said, "I'm sorry you had to go through any of that. I'm sorry you had to go through so many things… we all care about you… you know that, right?"

Harry nodded, feeling oddly warm inside again, just as he had felt in the kitchen with her mother. He wasn't used to such feelings of affection and he was never sure how to act. He glanced down, unable to look at Ron's sister any longer, wondering if she knew how much her comment truly meant to him. He loved the Weasleys more than anything and he sometimes wished he was truly apart of their family.

"I'm here if you ever need to talk," she added.

"Thanks," Harry whispered.

Ginny smiled at him reassuringly. Then, before Harry could even protest, she had pulled him into an awkward hug and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm here for you," she whispered into his ear.

Harry no longer had to question Ginny's intentions. Although she was truly trying to make him feel better, she was also using the situation to her advantage to let him know how much she cared for him. Feeling like he was somehow betraying Ron, Harry immediately pulled away, leaving Ginny looking slightly bewildered. With a shrug, she gave a half hearted smile and turned to go back in her room.

Harry couldn't help feeling a little confused about what just happened. Making his way back upstairs he glanced up. He was surprised to se Ron standing on the landing above him, glowering down at him with his arms crossed over his chest. Harry climbed the stairs slowly unsure of what Ron's reaction would be to whatever he just saw passing between Harry and Ginny.

"What was that all about?" Ron asked, staring at Harry intently.

"Nothing. Ginny was just being nice to me… she figured out why I was really testifying," Harry admitted truthfully.

"Just nice, eh? Looked like a little more than nice to me," he said, looking past Harry to where Ginny had been standing on the stairway only moments ago. The jealous look on Ron's face spoke volumes.

"C'mon Ron," said Harry, dragging him by the arm into the bedroom he shared with his boyfriend. "Don't be like this. It was completely innocent."

"Yeah right," Ron muttered in a mocking tone. "You don't know my sister half as well as you think you do."

"And w-what's that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean. She's had a crush on you since she laid eyes on you on the platform our first year. You must know that by now," Ron replied irritably.

Harry shrugged, unsure of what to say to put Ron at ease. He had always made it very clear that he wasn't interested in Ginny in that way, and he honestly never noticed the so-called advances at him everyone claims she made.

Ron made his way over to his bed and sat down heavily on his bed, still looking thoroughly grumpy. "She's not going to give up, is she?" he asked, more to himself than anything else.

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Ron, you can't possibly think that I would ever go for Ginny, do you? You know I don't like her like that. I never have."

Ron didn't even respond, and just stared dejectedly at the floor.

"Listen, there is only one red head that I have eyes for…" Harry said softly, crossing the room and sitting down beside his friend.

"You really mean that?" Ron asked, his voice sounding rather small for such a tall boy.

"Yeah."

Ron smiled and tilted his head slightly before leaning down to capture Harry's lips with his own. Harry pulled back for a moment to smile, grateful that Ron was being his usual pig headed stubborn self and believed what Harry had said.

Leaning forward again, Harry tenderly pressed his lip against Ron's and slid his tongue inside his wet mouth. Capturing Ron's upper lip between his own, he suckled lightly as he pulled on it. Ron moaned appreciatively and pulled Harry against him. Before he could realize what had happened, Ron had maneuvered them so that they were now lying side by side. After a few hot steamy moments of caressing and snogging one another, they pulled apart.

"I've been waiting all day to do that," Ron said breathing heavily.

"Me too…" Harry replied, wiggling down on the bed so that he could rest his head against Ron's chest. The larger boy wrapped his arms around Harry and pulled him closer.

"I'm proud of you for what you did today," Ron whispered in his ear.

Harry sighed, "Thanks… I'm not so sure I'm proud of myself though…"

"Why?"

Harry shrugged, not sure how to explain the confusion emotions he had inside of him. Even after everything Uncle Vernon had done to him, it had felt wrong to testify against him. Even Aunt Petunia had tried to tell him not to do it.

"It's not because of what you aunt had to say is it?" Ron asked perceptively. He pulled Harry away slightly so that he could look down at his face.

Harry shrugged again and closed his eyes, not really wanting to admit the truth of why he felt so guilty about having testified.

"What did she say to you anyway?" Ron asked, tracing Harry's face lightly with his fingertips.

Harry sighed and opened his eyes. "Ron, I'm extremely tired and I really d-don't want to get into all that right now, okay?"

Ron nodded in understanding, but still looked a bit hurt that Harry couldn't confide in him.

Seeing the look on his face, Harry began to feel guilty that he hurt Ron's feelings after how wonderful he had been lately. Sighing deeply, he said, "Listen, you know I don't like t-talking about this st-stuff… but if you must know she just said some mean things to me so that I w-w-wouldn't testify. I'd rather not repeat what she said."

"Okay," Ron replied, happy that Harry had admitted that much to him. He leaned over and kissed his boyfriend soundly on the forehead and said, "I love you… you know that don't you?"

Harry looked up at him in surprise, feeling his eyes beginning to water at the amount of emotion he was feeling just now.

"I've been wanting to say that for awhile now," Ron whispered. "And I mean it. I love you."

Harry opened and closed his mouth, looking very much like a fish, trying to find the words he needed to say so that he could respond. As hard as he tried, he couldn't say anything in response. After all the stress, anxiety, exhaustion, and worry about testifying against his uncle and making sure that he wasn't somehow kidnapped by Death Eaters along the way, something as wonderful and beautiful as the one you love telling you that they love you proved to be the most overwhelming. Those three little words finally ended being his undoing that day.

Harry suddenly found himself crying freely, not really comprehending why. He knew that it was partly due to the stress of the last two days, but he couldn't deny how much Ron's declaration meant to him.

Sure, Sirius and the Weasleys had told him over and over these last few weeks how much they loved him, but it never caused this type of reaction from him. He had never felt this way before and it was making feel emotionally unstable.

"Harry, you okay?" Ron lovingly asked, wiping away a few of his tears.

Harry nodded weakly, cleared his throat and tried to say, "R-Ron.. I..I-I…"

Ron smiled at his attempt to return his affection. "It's okay, Harry. You don't have to say it back… not yet. I know how you feel…and that this is probably hard for you…"

Harry sighed gratefully and hugged his boyfriend closer, sniffing slightly as the tears dried on his face. Ron fell asleep soon afterward and Harry was dangerously close to falling asleep as well. After allowing himself a few more moments of blissful peace, Harry resigned himself to actually putting on his own pajamas and getting into his own bed. They had already taken a lot of chances sleeping together lately and they really shouldn't do it every night. Besides Harry had a feeling that Mrs. Weasley may check in on him tonight.

Ron moaned in protest when he felt Harry leave his arms. "Can't stay… your mum might check in on us."

Ron made a grumpy sounding noise, but rolled the other way. Smirking at his sleepy boyfriend, Harry made his way over to his own bed.

Hedwig, as if waiting for an opportunity to be alone with him, swooped down from her perch and landed on his shoulder. Reaching up, he stroked her soft white feathers, earning an affectionate nip on his fingers. With everything going on he had been neglecting his beloved pet and he felt badly. It was a good thing owls were so self sufficient.

"Do you wanna go hunt?" he asked, knowing how she loved to fly at night. She hooted in reply.

Tiptoeing over to the window, he opened it allowing Hedwig to fly outside. Pig tumbled off his perch and followed after her, hooting enthusiastically. Harry couldn't help but think that the tiny bird was the Colin Creevey of the bird world.

Finally ready to go to sleep, Harry nestled down in the warm blankets, breathing in the scent of the familiar surroundings. It felt good to be home.

As tired as he was it took a few moments to fall asleep. Just as he expected, Mrs. Weasley came in to check on them. She first went to Harry, who was feigning sleep, and pulled the covers up on him a little higher. She then closed the window to keep out the cold night air that had crept up on them this summer's night. Hedwig and Pig wouldn't be returning until morning anyway. Harry watched through half lidded eyes as she then checked on her son who was sprawled across his bed.

"Oh Ronnie… sleeping in your clothes again I see," she commented, once she noticed he had failed to put his pajamas on. Knowing that her son was a sound sleeper, she removed his socks, rolled him onto his bed properly, and covered him neatly with a blanket.

Satisfied that her boys were alright, Mrs. Weasley quietly crossed the room. Pausing at the door she whispered, "Goodnight, Harry."

Harry couldn't believe that she had so easily figured him out. _"How did she know I wasn't sleeping?" _he wondered_. "It must be a mother thing."_

"Goodnight," he whispered back.

He could see her smile back in the dim amount of light in the room just before she closed the bedroom door.

Sleep took hold of him soon after, but unfortunately he was not blessed with a dreamless sleep tonight. Instead he was plagued by nightmares. There was a series of similar dreams, each one taking place in that lonely interrogation room in the Magistrate's Court House where he had been forced to speak to his Aunt Petunia before testifying. The varied to some degree, but they all basically followed one general theme: he shouldn't have testified. The last of these dreams was truly terrifying.

"_Promise me you won't tell them all our dirty little secrets!" Aunt Petunia screamed, grabbing Harry's arm._

"_Stop! Leave me alone!"_

"_I can't! Vernon made me come here! You can't testify! There's no telling what he will do if he finds out what you've done… and that I couldn't stop you!" she begged._

_His aunt was gripping his upper arm painfully, and struggled to escape her desperate hold but found the more that he struggled the harder it was to get away._

"_Leave me alone!" Harry screamed._

"_You have to do something! You have to try!" Aunt Petunia pleaded. "You don't know what he's like now!"_

_Soon her sharp manicured nails were digging into his arms and he no longer had to worry about her hand leaving a bruise. Now bright red gashes had appeared beneath each nail._

"_Stop it! You're hurting me!" he yelled, still struggling to get away._

"_You worthless son of a bitch! I can't believe you won't help me!"_

"_I'm sorry. I can't help you," Harry moaned desperately, wishing that she would just let go. His arm hurt so badly now. Looking down he could see her fingernails were slicing through his muscle now to the bone._

"_Don't you see what he'll do to me! To us!" she yelled._

_Harry looked up at his aunt again and saw her face had changed. It was swollen and purple like she had been beaten to death and blood was streaming down each of her eye sockets._

_Harry started screaming in horror, realizing that it was his fault that his aunt looked this way now. Without Harry around he had taken all of his rage out on her and he had done nothing to stop it._

"_It's all your fault! You're just a freak! Just like your parents were freaks! None of this would have happened if you hadn't been born!" his aunt moaned. She broke away from Harry, gripping her face in her hands and writing in pain. She stumbled away and leaned against the wall for support with one bloody hand._

_As terrified as he was, Harry was also worried for his aunt. He had to find a way to help her somehow. "Aunt Petunia?" he called, taking a hesitant step toward her. "Are you okay?"_

_Placing a hand on her shoulder, he attempted to turn her around to see the extent of the damage again. Maybe he could help her somehow. _

_Suddenly, Aunt Petunia's grotesque face morphed into something else. Harry knew what he was seeing before the transformation was even complete. Standing before him now was his Uncle Vernon._

"_No!"_

"_You're going to pay, boy!" Vernon yelled, reaching out and gripping Harry's neck with one hand._

"Harry!"

"_No!" Harry tried to scream again, but he found that his airway had been cut off. He desperately tried to fight back, but found that he was powerless against his uncle. He was dying and he was helpless to do anything about it._

"Harry!" Ron called again, finally waking his friend.

Harry sat bolt upright, taking huge breaths, still feeling like someone was choking the life out of him. He quickly touched his aching upper arm, where his aunt had grasped in his dream and felt the dull ache of a bruise. He remembered then that the bruise had occurred at the courthouse today and couldn't possibly have occurred because of the dream.

"You were having a nightmare. Are you alright?" Ron asked, eyeing the way Harry was holding his arm.

Looking up at his boyfriend, sitting beside him now, Harry broke into tears and shook his head. He felt so foolish and ashamed to be affected by nightmares like this but he couldn't help but feel emotional right now.

Ron reached out and pulled him into his warm embrace, making quiet shushing sounds to comfort him. Harry buried his face into Ron's chest and tried to get himself under control. It was hard, though. The dream had been terrifying and he couldn't seem to erase those horrific images from his head. After several long minutes, Harry's sobbing subsided and he found some composure.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ron asked.

"No…" Harry said miserably, hoping that Ron would understand.

"C'mon… budge up…. I'm sleeping with you tonight," Ron said softly, as he moved them both over so they could lie down together.

Harry was too upset and tired to protest. He gratefully snuggled down into his covers, with Ron spooning him from behind, feeling safe once again in the comforting arms. Harry didn't know what he would do if he didn't have Ron right now. He was his rock… a constant in his life that he had grown to depend on so dearly that he could no longer even fathom an existence without Ron.

He loved Ron more than life itself. He knew that now… even before Ron had said those very words to him this evening. But knowing and understanding can be two very different things. Harry know understood what it meant to have Ron in his life and he didn't want to ever imagine now having Ron in it.

* * *

A/N: Sorry about you all having to wait for this update. Life has not been kind to me recently and I had to sort some things out emotionally before I could find the will to write again. Things are much better than they were before. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. This one was much harder to write than the last one, as transitional chapters always are. Things will be picking up again rather soon so keep reading, even if my postings are irregular. You won't be disappointed. 

A/N2: I'm very excited about the new reviewer response thing, so I will answer questions and such in the new format.

Thanks again to all my loyal readers and reviewers! Now don't forget to review! Your lovely responses feed my muse.**_  
_**


	20. Discovery

**Chapter 20- Discoveries **

Molly sat rocking in her favorite chair beside the living room fireplace, humming an old wizarding tune to herself softly… a tune that her own mother had once sung to her long ago. It reminded her of a childhood almost forgotten, a time in which the world had had a blessed moment of peace from the chaos of war. They lived and loved freely, unbidden by any such notions that their lives could possibly be disrupted in a few short years. Unfortunately, her memories of this time were shadowed by the horrors that followed, leaving her with only fragments of true happiness. Having finally been free of one Dark Lord, they had had no inkling that there would be another to yet come, one more powerful and fearsome than the last.

It was the middle of the night and yet she found herself wide awake nonetheless. Like so many other evenings when she was too restless to sleep she had taken up her knitting and resolved herself to making yet another jumper for her children. With seven children and Christmas only a few months away, she stole every spare minute to work on them. This one was maroon, for Ronnie… she had always liked him in that color, though he never seemed to appreciate the color as much as she did.

So absorbed in her humming and knitting as she rocked back and forth, that she almost didn't hear the tell tale creak that came from the foot of the stairs. Glancing up and expecting to find her husband, who often would lead her to bed when she had exhausted herself enough, she was surprised to see Harry instead.

Now frozen at the bottom of the stairs, he looked as shocked to see her as she was to see him. Sensing his uneasiness she smiled warmly and called to him. "Harry? Is everything alright?"

He looked away and nodded sleepily. His hand had yet not left the railing and he looked as if he might turn and run back upstairs at any moment.

Worried that there might be something wrong, Molly set her knitting aside and rose to meet him. "Couldn't you sleep?" she asked, her voice soft but full of concern.

Harry green eyes slid up to meet hers and she saw for the first time that they were glassy and red rimmed. There was such sadness in those tired emerald orbs that she was almost taken aback. He shook his head but offered no other explanation as to why he was up at such a late hour.

Needing no explanation to determine the cause of what was bothering him. As a mother of seven, she recognized the symptoms of a nightmare when she saw them and she set about treating it just as she would with any of her other children.

Smiling again, she reached out and wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulders and directed him towards the kitchen. "Well then, how about a cup of my special tea? Hm?" she asked. "I could use some help getting to sleep myself."

"Y-you don't have to do that…" Harry attempted to protest as he was guided to a chair at the table. "Really…"

"Nonsense. It will only take a moment for me to prepare and then we can talk," she quickly replied, dismissing any other objections he might try to make.

Harry's shoulders sagged in resignation and he nodded in consent. Within moments she had magically heated a kettle of water was now steeping her special mixture of herbs and tea leaves with a calming draught.

Sitting beside the small teen, she placed a mug in front of each of them and lit the fire in the hearth in the kitchen. The warmth from its fiery glow helped to increase her tea's drowsy affects. She was an old pro at this and her sure fire methods never failed.

Sipping her own tea, she knew it would be enough to encourage Harry to have a sip of his own. The small boy did so hesitantly, not wanting to burn his tongue on the hot drink. Finding the tea to be at the perfect temperature he took a larger mouthful and swallowed readily. The effects of the tea were almost instantaneous. The tension left the boy's body almost immediately and the tight pained look in his face melted into a look of relaxation. He took another sip, apparently relishing not only the taste but the effects it was having on his body.

"What was your nightmare about?" she asked, looking over him carefully.

"W-what?" he asked, looking up at her in surprise. He had not yet revealed the reason why he was out of bed so late at night, but Molly had always been rather perceptive about these things.

"You can tell me, child. It's alright," she said softly as she reached out and grabbed hold of his hand.

Harry looked down at the hand holding his own and sighed wearily. "I've been having the same d-dream over and over…. only it changes sometimes," he finally replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

"What is it about?" she prompted.

"My aunt mostly… sh-she yells at me… for testifying…."

Molly nodded, almost expecting that answer. It had been nearly a week since Harry had gone to the Magistrate's courthouse to testify and she knew that it would have undoubtedly been on his subconscious since then. Ron had mentioned to her earlier this week that Harry had been nightmares. She thought about talking to Harry about it sooner, but she didn't want to betray Ron or Harry's trust.

"What happens?"

"Mostly she just yells at me…"

"Anything else?" she asked, pushing him to say more.

Harry shrugged, clearly not wanting to say anything else. Molly waited patiently knowing that he might say something more. "They're horrible…" he said finally.

"What about your uncle? Do you ever dream of him?"

Harry looked her for a moment, before glancing away. He seemed to ponder the question for a few minutes before finally nodding.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, hoping that he might reveal a little more to her.

"N-no," he quickly replied.

"Are you sure-"

"I'm o-okay… but thanks…" Harry then took a big swig of his tea, swallowing loudly. It appeared as if he were drying to drink it all as quickly as possible so as not to be rude, but to escape this conversation if necessary.

Molly wanted nothing more than for Harry to open up to her. He needed to understand that it was okay to talk about these things… that it was important that he talked to someone about it. Hoping that she could steer the conversation in that general direction, she voiced her thinking aloud.

"I understand… but please remember that Arthur and I will always be here for you, no matter what," she began. "I'm sure this must all be very difficult for you. I know Ron would be willing to talk about some of these things with you if wanted…"

"Yeah, I know. Ron's been great," Harry replied, smirking behind his cup of tea.

"Oh? How's that?" she questioned.

"He sometimes wakes me if I'm having a nightmare…" he offered, setting his now empty cup down.

"Oh? And he didn't tonight?"

Harry shook his head. "But that's okay. He's been up n-nearly every night because of me. I figured he deserved at least one nights rest without my thrashing about waking him up-" he stopped quickly, suddenly realizing that he had probably said too much already. His flushed bright red and Molly couldn't help but chuckle at his sudden embarrassment.

Molly knew they occasionally slept with each other, cuddling through the night, and she honestly felt that it was still innocent at best. If she suspected that their relationship was moving farther along than she felt was appropriate she would step in and make her position known.

"He cares about you a great deal," she said, hoping to put him at ease again.

Harry nodded, smirking again.

"And I know you care about him," she added, watching as face suddenly blanched.

"I-I… I … w-we… just friends…" Harry stumbled over his words as he became increasingly tongue tied.

"It's okay, Harry, I know… and I think its wonderful…"

Harry beamed up at her as apparent relief filled his body

She had suspected that something more was going on boys' relationship even before Harry was brought to the Burrow. She had seen it in Ron eyes whenever he talked about his small friend, and his ever increasing worry about Harry's welfare seemed to hint at something more than just friendship. Since Harry's arrival she had watched them closely, picking up on the nonverbal clues that unknowingly passed between them that signaled their growing awareness and attraction to each other.

So subtle were the clues, that any other person might dismiss them for something else. But a mother of seven knew what to look for; the sidelong glances, heavy sighs, nervous energy, overwhelming need to be with each other at all times. They all pointed to one thing; love. She had watched as her older children went through such crushes, relationships, and even heartbreak, developing a wealth of knowledge of the idiosyncratic nature of the heart.

As far as she knew, she was the only one that knew of their changing relationship. She would keep their secret for as long as necessary, knowing that when the time was right they would feel comfortable telling other people.

Clearing his throat, Harry said, "R-ron told me he talked to you."

"Yes, but he didn't tell me anything if that's what your thinking. I just sort of knew…"

Harry looked up at her curiously. "But how?"

"A mother just knows," Molly replied.

Harry smiled and nodded, seeming satisfied with that answer.

They sat quietly for a few minutes enjoying the peace that had overcome them and the quietness of the house. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Harry gingerly touch his scar with his fingers wincing slightly.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Harry snapped his head toward her in surprise almost as if he had forgotten she were there. "Er.. y-yeah…"

Molly gave him a pointed look and he knew that that answer wouldn't be enough. "My scar… it's been twinging on me lately…"

"Twinging?" she asked, not familiar with the unusual term, but feeling quite concerned anyway.

"I don't know how else to describe it. It's like… a slight burning sensation that throbs a bit…" he tried to explain. "Dumbledore-"

"_Professor Dumbledore_."

"Professor Dumbledore says that it b-bothers me because I'm somehow connected to Voldemort," Harry admitted, tiredly running his hand across his face.

"Like when you had the vision?" Molly asked, growing more concerned. Harry nodded. "Do you feel like you're going to have another one now?"

Harry shook his head and traced a finger over his scar again. "It feels better again."

Molly nodded, feeling somewhat relieved. Ron had told her about Harry's "fits" before, but it had been terrifying to witness one herself. She hated how helpless it had made her feel, knowing that she could do nothing to stop the horrible images that he was being bombarded with.

"How often has this twinging been happening?"

Harry screwed up his face trying to think. "Every few days now since I had the vision. It's no big deal. The twinges don't last long."

"Have you told anyone about them?" she asked, almost sure that she already knew the answer.

"No," he replied sheepishly. "It's really not a big deal and it's not like I'm having visions. The twinges are just annoying."

"I think we should tell your godfather and the headmaster just the same," I said firmly.

Harry sighed and then nodded in consent. He then let out a loud yawn that he could not hide. His face took on a dopey appearance and she knew that the calming draught from the tea had reached its potency in his body. She was feeling quite sleepy herself now.

"Are you ready to go back to bed now?" she asked, reaching out to brush aside a strand of hair that had fallen into his right eye.

He nodded as he leaned into her comforting gesture. She allowed her hand to linger for a moment on his cheek. Bending her neck forward she made him meet her gaze. "Remember that I'm here if you ever need me. Okay?"

He nodded again, stifling another yawn.

"Off to bed with you," she said, gently pulling Harry out of his seat and guiding him towards the stairway.

With a hand on his back, she led the teenager back up to her son's room. Harry looked at her in confusion when they reached the door to Ron's bedroom and continued inside together. "Er… Mrs. Weasley… I-I'm alright now…"

"Nonsense… you can't expect a good nights rest after a bad dream without being tucked in properly," she replied, as she pulled back the covers to his bed and gestured for him to lie down.

Harry chuckled softly, trying not to wake Ron, and lay down. Once he was comfortable on his side, Molly pulled the covers back over him and tucked him gently. She then kissed him on his forehead and whispered, "Sweet dreams…"

Out of habit, she then checked on Ron, and readjusted his covers so that he wouldn't get tangled in them in the morning. As she turned to leave the room she heard Harry call out to her once more.

"Mrs. Weasley?" he whispered.

"Yes?" she asked, pausing at the door.

"Thanks."

"Your welcome, love. Good night…"

And with that she stepped out into the hallway. She couldn't help but check on the rest of her children, a habit that she had yet to break despite the age of her brood, before finally retiring to her own room. Every one of them was safe and sound in their own beds.

Finally retreating to the master bedroom, she wasn't surprised to find Arthur sleeping restlessly.

"Molly Lou?" he whispered into the darkness.

"I'm here, love."

Slipping under the covers beside him, she wrapped and arm around his waist and buried her head against his back, relishing the warmth of his body next to her own. Arthur sighed contentedly at her presence and began to rest more easily.

Knowing that she wouldn't be needed again tonight, she fell into a peaceful sleep content with the knowledge that she was able to calm the fears of a young boy and offer him something he so desperately long for… motherly love.

* * *

Ron sighed loudly as he moved his chess pieces about the board, troubled that he had been forced to play against himself for lack of a partner. He was sitting cross legged on Harry's bed with the chess board in front of him, watching his friend sitting below him on the floor.

Harry was resting with his back against Ron's bed and a book in his lap, which he was using to write upon. A quill and a piece of parchment were in his hands, and Harry was trying yet again to write a letter to Hermione about the events that had taken place last week. It was his third attempt today and Ron knew that as the day wore on that the task of finally revealing the truth about everything that had happened this summer wasn't getting any easier.

Ron had been patient at first, having been the one to convince Harry that he should tell their best friend everything sooner rather than later, but his patience was growing thin and there were other things he would much rather be doing than tediously watching Harry compose a letter he never wanted to write in the first place. He was warm and irritable in his hot, stuffy bedroom and he didn't think he could stand another minute up here. Ron sighed again, a little more dramatically this time, when it was clear that Harry hadn't picked up on his subtle hints.

"What?" Harry asked irritably, lifting his gaze from the parchment he was writing on.

"I'm so bored!" Ron complained in a whiney tone as he flopped back onto Harry's bed. "You've been writing to Hermione all day. Can't we do something?" As he lay back, he caught a whiff of Harry's scent on his pillow. He breathed in deeply, relishing the way that this pillow now smelled like Harry, and wondered once again how he and Harry had ever gotten together. Ron then rolled over onto his side and looked at his boyfriend with what we hoped was a pleading expression

Harry glared at him with an amused expression on his face. "You're the one that said I should write to Hermione in the first place."

"That's because she'll be mad if you don't tell her yourself and she figures it out."

"How could she possibly know what the Dur…m-my relatives d-did to me?" Harry asked exasperatedly.

"I don't know…. but you know how she is when she sets her mind to something. She's scary like that. And you should have seen how she tried to pump me for information on your birthday." Ron had only explained what happened during Harry's car accident to Hermione. He had had some suspicions at the time that something more had happened with Harry's uncle, but he hadn't been able to bring himself to reveal these thoughts to Hermione, though he was sure she held the same sort of inklings. It wasn't until later that Ron found out the truth himself.

"Right, which is why I'm trying to write her this letter," Harry replied firmly, turning his attention back to the parchment he was writing on.

Leaning over the bed, Ron took a peek at what Harry had written. They had agreed that they would wait to tell her in person about their relationship, but that it was important not to keep too many secrets from her. Curious as ever, Ron began to read upside down what Harry had written. Although the body of it constituted a couple of paragraphs, it was covered with so many sentences crossed out and scribbles here and there that Harry had effectively written only: _Dear Hermione, How are you?_

"At the rate you're going it'll be a year before you figure out what you want to say," Ron whined as he lay back on the bed.

"Well, this isn't exactly easy, you know…" Harry muttered.

"Can I help?"

"No!"

Ron groaned in frustration and crossed his arms over his chess in childishly.

"You could try finishing your Potion's essay," Harry commented as he grabbed a piece of chocolate from the box of Honeyduke's that he had gotten for his birthday. Harry's appetite had continued to increase as the weeks wore on with the help of the nutritional potions Madam Pomfrey continued to supply him. He had even managed to put on a few pounds so that he no longer looked like such a waif.

Ron eyed the pile of books and parchment surrounding Harry that was strewn between the two beds with disgust. "I'm sick of studying," he said, reaching out to grab a piece of chocolate for himself.

"Well, I don't know what to tell you then…"

Ron sighed heavily and continued to stare at Harry as he munched on his chocolate. Looking at him more closely now he could see the dark circles under eyes that stood out in stark contrast with Harry's pale skin. Despite the peaceful week Harry had since his court date, Ron knew he still had some difficulty sleeping. Almost every night Ron had been woken to the sounds of Harry in the midst of another nightmare. Although Harry wouldn't tell him what the dreams were about, Ron could guess from some of things that Harry muttered in his sleep that they were about his relatives. Harry may no longer live with those horrid Dursleys, but it was clear that he hadn't completely escaped their influence. Ron desperately wished that Harry could escape the hold that they still had over him, and finally live in peace.

His uncle's trials were scheduled to begin this week, but despite the timeliness of their occurrence it could still possibly take months for the judge to rule on the sentencing. Ron was worried about the outcome and the possible effects it may have on Harry, especially if Vernon Dursley was acquitted, but worrying wouldn't do any of them any good.

Feeling a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead, Ron reached up to brush it away and saw Harry doing something similar. It literally felt like a sauna in his room.

It was hot that day. Hotter than it had been all summer. The still August air hung like a heavy blanket, smothering everyone with its excessive heat. Even the cooling charms that had been placed around the Burrow had failed to bring much comfort.

"It's too hot," Ron whined, fanning himself fruitlessly with a spare bit of parchment he had grabbed from the floor.

"You can say that again," Harry replied.

"It's too hot," he repeated.

Harry snorted. "Oh, you're so funny…" he said mockingly. Ron could tell he was trying to be serious, but Harry couldn't hide the smirk on his face.

Suddenly, Ron had an idea and he wondered why he hadn't thought of it before. "Hey, let's go swimming," Ron suggested, jumping onto his knees and bouncing now on the bed. Spending time at the pond was sounding like a lovely idea and a little sun would do certainly wonders for Harry's sickly pallor.

"What?" Harry asked stupidly.

Ron rolled his eyes. "You know, _swimming_…water, splash, splash, and all that," he said, simulating the doggie paddle as he climbed down from the bed and crawled over to Harry.

"Er… I d-don't know…"

"C'mon, please?" Ron begged.

He was about to tease Harry about not being able to swim and how he would protect him when the red head caught a glimmer of something in his eye. Ron had almost forgotten the incident that occurred earlier this summer when Harry was almost tossed into the pond by the twins. His heart seemed to clench in his chest at the memory of Harry being so desperately afraid of anyone finding out his secrets. He never wanted his friend to feel that way again, but he also wanted to make sure that Harry knew that it was okay to be himself around Ron.

"M-maybe some other time," Harry said softly.

Ron grabbed his hand and tried to give him a reassuring look. "Harry, it's okay… it'll be just you and me."

"I-I d-don't know…"

"What if I promise you that it would be just you and me alone… would you try to go swimming with me? We could stay in the shallows…" Ron offered. He could see that the idea was appealing to Harry on this hot summer day, but that he still had some reservations.

"It's just… m-my back… you know…its-"

"You don't even have to take off your shirt if you didn't want to," Ron suggested, hoping that it would be enough to calm Harry's fears about the scars on his back. Harry smiled at him and then nodded.

"Yes?" Ron questioned happily.

"Yeah."

Ron kissed him affectionately on the cheek and gave him a quick hug. Letting out a triumphant whoop Ron jumped up and pulled Harry to his feet. "Let's go before you change your mind."

He dragged Harry out to the hallway and down the many flights of stairs. Glancing into the kitchen on their way out, Ron found his mum and his sister making batches of biscuits. He quickly whispered to his mother his plans for he and Harry to be alone at the pond and the reasons why and she nodded in silent agreement. Ron knew his mother would be able to keep Ginny away, but the twins were another matter.

Seeing the way that Ginny was staring at Harry, who was waiting for him by the stairs, Ron gave her a dirty look and quickly left the Burrow with Harry in tow. He found the twins working outside de-gnoming the garden yet again. He sent Harry off in the direction of the pond and did his best to convince the twins to leave them alone at the pond for today. Ron didn't like the looks on Fred and George's faces, so he began to beg shamelessly.

"So do you promise?" he asked once again.

"Yes Ronniekins, we promise-"

"-not to go swimming at the pond today."

Something about the way the twins were still looking at him left him unsettled, but they had made the promise to him nonetheless. Fred and George may be a handful at times, but if anything they were always good on their word. Still feeling uneasy, Ron knew it was useless to say anything more. He muttered a quick thanks and then set about catching up to Harry.

The pond was set in a clearing deep in the woods surrounding the Weasley's property. It was of moderate size and nearly six feet deep in some areas, but it mostly consisted of shallow water. Tall grasses and reeds lined the shores of the pond and it was a haven for numerous frogs and birds. At night the pond glowed from the light of the moon when it was full and twinkled if the stars were out and the fireflies were dancing along the shores.

Ron soon found the dark haired teen standing on the edge of the watering hole, staring at the water's shimmering surface with his arms wrapped around his waist. He was squinting against the sun's glare as the wind whipped through his dark hair, causing it to look even messier than usual. Ron found the image of his love standing there amidst the beautiful scenery to be breathtaking and he found that he fell even more in love with Harry at that moment.

"Ready?" Ron asked as he came to stand beside his love, trying to be as nonchalant about the whole ordeal as possible.

"I guess," Harry replied, sounding reluctant once again.

Ron gave him a reassuring smile and began toeing off his trainers and peeling off his clothing, a difficult task considering his body was so hot and sticky, until he was only in his boxers. Harry followed suit, but left his t-shirt and glasses on as well.

Ron stuck a toe into the water and found it blissfully cool. Turning back to Harry, he reached for his hand led him to the water's edge. "C'mon… you haven't truly spent a summer at the Burrow until you've waded into Weasley pond on a sweltering hot day…"

"Alright…" Harry replied, smiling at Ron now, as he followed him in the pool of water.

Ron released his hand and waded out a little further until he was about waist deep. He turned back and saw that Harry was still standing near the shore looking at Ron with series of complex emotions splayed across his face. It looked as though he were trying to come to some decision.

"Alright there Harry?" Ron asked, hoping that he was trying to back out now.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" he replied.

Ron was about to complain that he always said that, when he saw Harry cross his arms over his chest, grab the ends of his t-shirt, and pull it over his head. He then tossed onto the shore and began wading towards Ron in the center of the pond.

"You don't mind," Harry asked hopefully.

Ron didn't even have to ask to know what Harry meant. "I don't mind…" he said breathlessly. He had already seen the scars on Harry's back. Although it reminded him of how awful Vernon Dursley had been to his nephew, the scars didn't make him think any less of Harry. Knowing that it would make Harry uncomfortable, Ron mentally promised not to even look at his back. "I think you're beautiful."

"Really?" Harry asked, his face still so full of hope that it was pathetic.

"Really," Ron replied, smiling at him again.

He reached out and pulled Harry the rest of the distance to him and into his embrace. Ron held him there for a while, enjoying the feeling of Harry's almost naked body next to his own. The cool water that rhythmically pulsated against their bodies because of the water's disturbance was an amazing sensation, but the heat radiating off each other's bodies was even more powerful. In fact, it felt as if there was an electric current vibrating between them they were so in tune with each other.

On impulse Ron began taking handfuls of water and pouring them over them both, cooling off both of their bodies. He started with their arms and their chests and moved carefully towards their heads. Ron loved the way the water sluiced down Harry's pale skin and he found himself caressing every visible inch of Harry's torso lovingly. It was obvious that Harry was relishing not only the cool water, but also the attention. His emerald green eyes looked up into Ron's pale blues and they both knew how right all of this felt. If they ever doubted whether or not they were meant to be together, it was times like these that always put things back into perspective.

Knowing that they were truly alone, Ron bent down and pressed his lips to Harry's realizing once again that he would never tire of kissing these beautifully exquisite pink lips. Harry moaned contentedly and kissed him back with a passion he had not yet expressed before.

For two young men who had never kissed another soul before each other, they were both amazed at how wonderful these kisses felt. Their tongues danced around each other like old pros and they quickly felt into a rhythm that they both liked.

No longer content with only kissing Harry's mouth, Ron slid his lips down his chin and onto the base of the neck. He slowly suckled that tender sweet spot between his throat and collar bone, enjoying all of the little mewing sounds Harry was making because of his ministrations. Ron's hands wandered over Harry's body intent on caressing every last inch of him. As he did so, he ever so slowly pulled the smaller boy out to deeper water. Harry hadn't even noticed that Ron had been carefully repositioning them until the water began to lap at his neck.

Harry broke away and gasped slightly, looking alarmed.

"It's alright Harry; you can still touch the bottom. I'm just trying to get you used to the water," Ron said softly, kissing him on the forehead in reassurance.

"And here I thought you were trying to do something else," Harry said suggestively.

Ron growled playfully and pulled Harry to him once again, capturing his lips with his own. He hoisted Harry about a bit so that their bodies rubbed pleasantly against one another and held him there with one arm. He then allowed his free hand to continue to roam Harry's body, finally allowing it to rest at Harry's butt, where he grabbed a cheek firmly in his fingers. Harry moaned appreciatively, and moved his mouth to give Ron's neck more attention.

They were so caught up in each other that they were completely unaware of the two figures that were circling above them. They only broke apart when hey heard the pair giggling wildly. To their horror they found the twins flying low to the pond on broomsticks, watching them with amused expressions on their freckled faces.

"Aw look, aren't they cute-" said Fred

"Ron and Harry sitting in a tree-"

"-POND!"

George laughed and said, "-er, right-"

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" The two voices sang unison. The twins then high fived each other for their cleverness and then resumed making circles around Ron and Harry.

"First comes love-" Fred began he next verse.

"Then comes marriage-" George began to add.

"SHUT UP!" Ron screamed at them, attempting to splash water at them for their intrusion. Never before had he been so angry with them. He has asked- no _begged_- the twins to leave them alone today, but they couldn't even do that.

"Aww… little Ronniekins is upset!" Fred said in a baby voice.

"I said SHUT UP!" Ron yelled, feeling a rage inside of him that wished to be unleashed. Glancing down at Harry, who was now staring fixedly at the water with a deep blush on his face, he knew that this was probably the worst possible thing that could have happened. The twins would never stop teasing them about their relationship. "How could you! I told you to leave us alone!"

"No, you told us not to go swimming today in the pond-"

"-and we're not swimming. We're flying!"

"But you knew we wanted to be left alone!" Ron yelled. Seeing Harry flinch at his harsh tone, he moved a bit closer to Harry, feeling very overprotective. The small teen was desperately trying to keep his shoulders under the water and kept turn away from the twins as they circled around them so that they wouldn't see the scars on his back.

"Yes, which is why we came to confirm our suspicions-"

"-and boy did we get an eyeful!"

Ron felt himself flush deeply and mentally kicked himself for trusting the twins to leave them alone. He had gone and ruined everything. Harry would never forgive him. They both weren't ready for other people to know that they were together, or the fact that they were even gay for that matter, and now the biggest blabber mouths that ever existed knew their secret. He had no idea how to salvage this situation.

Suddenly a small pleading voice rose up from the pond. "P-please, d-don't tell anyone," Harry said softly.

The twins stopped in mid air and hovered motionlessly above the pair in the water. Neither said a word, and looked back and forth between Ron and Harry.

"Please, don't tell anyone we're together," Harry repeated, his voice sounding a little clearer this time.

"So you're really together than-"

"-this is not just some innocent experimentation?" they asked.

Ron looked to Harry and they both nodded. Fred and George sighed heavily, looking as if someone had just taken the wind out of their sails.

"How long?" Fred asked.

"A couple weeks," Ron replied.

"Does anyone else know?"

"Just Mum."

"Figured it out, did she?"

Ron nodded. "You guys don't… you know… mind that we're both… er, guys…"

Fred looked to George and they shrugged, both silently coming to some agreement. "Not if you don't."

Ron breathed a sigh of relief and could feel the tension leave Harry's body, who was still standing close to him.

"Well?" Ron asked. "Can you keep us a secret?"

"Alright, we won't tell anyone," they said together, looking quite disappointed.

"Thanks," said Harry. Ron nodded, meaning the same.

"Besides, we can't wait to Gin-Gin finds out on her own-"

"-the expression on her face will be priceless!"

Ron rolled his eyes, knowing that they were probably right. Harry, however, looked almost regretful that Ginny should ever find out.

"And you can't tease us about this either," Ron suddenly added, realizing that this term of the agreement was just as important.

"What? We couldn't possibly agree to something like that!" exclaimed George, sounding properly horrified.

"Yes, what would be the fun in that!" added Fred.

The twins started circling the younger boys again on their brooms, seeming satisfied once again at chanting horrid love songs and calling to them with a myriad of expressions. Ron tried to get them to listen to reason, but they were deaf to his pleas for understanding. Thankfully, Harry seemed to be more amused by their antics than upset anymore.

"We'll see you lover boys later!" George yelled once more, before he and his twin set out over the trees, leaving the now bewildered pair behind.

Alone once again, Harry and Ron each let out the nervous laughter they had been holding in.

"Sorry about that," Ron said apologetically.

Harry shrugged. "It's alright. It wasn't too bad actually."

"Too bad? They were absolutely awful! Did you hear some of the suggestive things they said about us?" he asked in an exasperated tone.

Harry shrugged again and said, "Somehow I don't mind all that much."

Ron smiled. "Me neither."

"Do you think they will say anything to anyone?" Harry asked fearfully.

"Nah. The twins are good for their word. You just have to be careful what you ask for," he replied.

"I guess so," Harry replied, giving him a knowing look.

Ron laughed and pulled his boyfriend to him again, kissing him soundly on the lips. Who would have thought that someone discovering your secret could make you feel so good? It was like sharing your joy with the world and knowing that it was okay.

* * *

Later that evening, Harry and Ron made their way down from the bedroom they shared to the kitchen hoping for a late night snack.

Harry had finally finished his letter to Hermione and had sent it off with Hedwig. He hoped his friend would understand that he hadn't told her his secrets sooner. Somehow he knew she would. For now, Harry decided not to dwell on the fate of his uncle; he had done all that he could do. Although he initially had a lot of reservations about the whole ordeal, testifying had been surprisingly therapeutic experience. He had felt lighter than he had in weeks.

As they made their way to the bottom, they could hear voices coming from the kitchen. They slowed their pace and were as quiet as possible, hoping they might over hear something important. Ron's father had been missing at dinner today and his mum and had been awfully quiet. Somehow Harry knew that it had something to do with him, though exactly how he wasn't sure.

Feeling brave, they peeked around the corner of the stairway into the kitchen. To their surprise, they found Ron's parents, Snape, Sirius, and Remus standing around the kitchen talking animatedly. So caught up in whatever they were discussing, none of them appeared to have noticed their arrival. Ron and Harry watched quietly in hopes of discovering the nature of this impromptu meeting.

Ron's parents were standing close to one another, holding hands and leaning onto each other for support.

"I'm surprised that she attempted to even contact us," Mr. Weasley muttered to his wife, "after the way she has shunned magic and our kind."

"She must have been so desperate. I can't even imagine," said Mrs. Weasley, blotting her eyes.

Harry looked over at Ron in alarm, wondering what was going on, but all he received in reply was a shrug of confusion. Apparently Ron was as bewildered as he was. Looking back at the scene before them, he noticed Snape resting against the corner of the kitchen against counter with his arms crossed over his chest, looking down thoughtfully. He seemed to be listening to the others, refraining from making his usual scathing remarks.

"I would have liked to given her a piece of my mind," said Sirius.

Remus smirked at the thought. "You would have only made things more difficult. It's better that you didn't go. "

Harry's godfather shrugged. "Harry should be told immediately," Sirius said with a heavy sigh. "I just don't know how."

Remus nodded in agreement. His arms were crossed over his chest and he seemed quite uncomfortable with whatever they were discussing.

"No! I don't think we should tell him yet! He's already been through so much!" said Mrs. Weasley, quickly interjected her own opinion.

"Molly…" Ron's father began to reason pulling on her hand, but he was soon cut off by a low voice that sound quite irritated.

"We have company," said Snape, turning his head upon the two boys caught in the stairway.

It was odd that they had been caught twice now spying on the members of the Order discussing something concerning Harry. They had been so curious about what was happening they hadn't realized that they had slowly emerged into plain view. Harry's emerald eyes caught Snape's obsidian ones, and for a moment they held each other's gaze. Harry stared into those inky black depths and saw the sadness, confusion, and frustration within Snape over his misconceptions of the boy in front of him. Feeling as though he was losing himself in Snape's eyes, Harry shook his head and looked away. His brain felt a bit fuzzy, almost as if Snape had been sifting through his thoughts. He idly wondered if this was what Occlumency would be like.

"Harry! How long have you been standing there?" asked Remus, looking somewhat like a petulant child caught in the act of doing something wrong.

"N-not long…" he replied softly.

The adults looked around at each other at a loss as to how to deal with the current situation. Mr. Weasley looked toward Harry's godfather and gave a nod, causing Mrs. Weasley to bristle in agitation at the overlook of her opinion.

"Did you happen to overhear anything?" asked Sirius, taking a step towards him.

Harry remained silent, and swallowed painfully at the lump that had suddenly formed in the back of his throat. Whatever the reason these Order members had assembled here, it couldn't be good and Harry was somehow involved… again. After such a peaceful week, he should have known that none of it would last.

He was so worried about what they were going to tell him that he found that he had no voice in which to respond. Thankfully, Ron replied for him. "No, we d-didn't hear much of anything. What's going on?" he asked worriedly.

"Come have a seat, dear…" said Mrs. Weasley, stepping forward and guiding the two boys to the kitchen table. The rest of the adults sat down as well, all except Snape who seemed content to hide in his little corner of the room.

"W-what's going on?" Harry repeated. He could feel that Ron, who was sitting beside him, was just as he was.

"It's your aunt," said Mr. Weasley. "She has finally decided to leave your uncle."

Harry felt his heartbeat quicken, having not expected to hear that bit of information. He didn't need to ask why, he already knew the truth.

"He h-hurt her, didn't he?" Harry asked.

"Yes, yes he did…"

"Is she okay?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"She wouldn't let us treat her injuries, but I suspect she might have had a broken arm, possibly a concussion," said Mr. Weasley.

"She doesn't like m-magic….w-what about Dudley?" he then asked, oddly curious about the fate of his cousin.

Mr. Weasley cleared his throat, looking as though he wasn't sure what to say. Sirius saved him the trouble, and said, "That cousin of yours finally found a brain in his head and beat his father up when he saw what Vernon was doing to his mother. He left with her…"

"Dudley b-beat up Uncle Vernon?" That was certainly a new concept. Harry was sure Dudley was more than capable of beating anyone up, he had certainly experience his strength first hand, but it was something else to consider he had hurt his own father to save his mother.

"Yeah, and did a right good job too. Knocked him out cold!" Sirius said, with a satisfied smirk.

"Sirius!" Ron's mother admonished him like she was scolding a child. "Don't talk like that!"

"Why? It's true!"

"W-what's going to happen to them?" Harry asked.

"Bill and Severus found an old pen pal your aunt used to be close with. They've gone to live her, at least temporarily, until she can get on her feet again," said Mr. Weasley. "Bill is traveling with them to make sure they get there safely."

"They left already? I won't see them ever again?" Harry asked, not sure how he felt about this. He never really expected to see either one of them again, but that was when they were still living with Vernon. A small part of him inside hoped that maybe they had finally seen the light and might want to see him again. After all, they were family.

"She didn't want to see you…" said Snape. The other adults turned around in their seats and shot dirty looks at the man standing in the corner.

Harry looked up at him surprise, but found that the comment hadn't meant to hurt him. Snape was merely stating the truth, and if Harry thought about what he had said carefully he might have noticed a hint of sadness in the Potions' Master's voice.

Harry couldn't help but feel dismayed over this loss. He knew that his relatives didn't love him, but he couldn't help but want their approval.

"What about Uncle V-Vernon?" he asked, wondering if the Order had somehow done something to him.

Mr. Weasley sighed, "We left him unconscious in his home. I'm sure he came to by now. As for the consequences for his actions… well we'll leave that up the Muggle court system and the trials that he is facing."

"What if he is found not guilty of all charges?" Ron suddenly asked.

Harry looked at him in surprise, nearly forgetting that he had been sitting beside him all along.

"We'll deal with that if the time comes," Sirius said cryptically.

Harry nodded, not really sure what he was agreeing to.

Ron sighed beside Harry, looking just as uncomfortable as e was. "I just can't believe that she would ask for help from us. How did she even know to contact us?"

Ron's father cleared his throat and looked from his son to Harry. "That day in the courthouse, when you aunt asked to speak with you Harry, I spoke to Dudley. I could see that they were both in need of help. I told him to go to Arabella Figg if things ever got bad. I guess it was bad enough that they could put aside their reservations about our kind to ask for help."

The statement caused Harry to remember all of his horrific nightmares of his aunt begging for him not to testify… how bloody and beaten she had always appeared to him… how she always blamed him. The guilt he felt was overwhelming now. He was starting to feel sick just thinking about it all.

"C-can I be excused?" he asked quickly.

"Of course dear… did you want a snack or something?" asked Mrs. Weasley, realizing that they had probably come down here for a reason and not just to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"No, thank you," he said softly. "I'm not hungry anymore."

Harry quickly got up from his seat and made his way upstairs, closely followed by Ron. He took the steps to at the time, trying to escape everything he had just learned. He didn't stop until he entered the bright orange room and was standing before the window, staring outside.

"Harry?" Ron called, following him into the room. "Are you alright?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders and wrapped his arms around his waist protectively. He felt Ron come up behind him, his arms encircling his shoulders. Resting his chin on the top of Harry's head, he whispered, "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"Everything you've gone through. I'm sure it was hard hearing that tonight."

"It was," Harry whispered back. "It's my fault…"

Ron spun him around and looked at him incredulously. "How can this possibly be your fault?"

Harry couldn't find the words to explain. They seemed to have got caught in his throat.

Ron studied him carefully, still trying to understand. "You don't think that your uncle was taking it out on your aunt because you were gone, do you?"

Harry shrugged uncertainly, amazed by how perceptive Ron had become since they had been together.

"That's not what happened! Don't think like that!" Ron then pulled him into his embrace, kissing the top of his head.

"It's hard not to…" he said miserably. "You don't know what it was like."

"No, I don't… but I know enough to know that this isn't your fault…"

Pulling back Ron looked into his eyes and said, "Say it for me."

"Say what?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Say that it's not your fault."

"I-I can't…" he said miserably.

"Say it!"

"It's not my fault," Harry whispered.

"Again!"

"It's not my fault!" he yelled, surprised by his own boldness.

Ron smiled at him affectionately. "Do you feel better now?"

"A little…" Harry admitted, smiling sheepishly.

"Good… now come here…" said Ron, pulling Harry by the hand towards the bed.

"What are we doing?" he asked.

"Cuddling you dolt! You need a good cuddle or you're never going to sleep properly." Ron lay down on his bed and pulled Harry to him so that they were lying side by side.

"Thanks," Harry whispered.

"For what?" asked Ron, as he ran his fingers through Harry's perpetually messy hair.

"For always knowing how to make me feel better."

Ron smiled and kissed him on the forehead, "No problem."

"Do you think they will be alright?"

"Who?"

"Aunt Petunia and Dudley."

Ron sighed irritably. "I frankly don't care because they were just as horrible to you as that uncle of yours… but yes, I'm sure they will be fine now. They can start all over…"

"Yeah, I suppose you right…" Harry said sleepily.

The pair fell asleep again together, fully clothed and lying on top of Ron's bedding. Harry relished the comfort he felt in Ron's arms and made a silent prayer to whoever was listening out there to watch over his aunt and cousin. No matter what they had done to him, they deserved to start over, away from Vernon's dark influence.

* * *

**Story Alert:** Are you dying to find out what happened to Petunia and Dudley that would make them desperate enough to leave Vernon? Well, check out my new fic **_She's Come Undone. _**It's a once shot that was inspired by this chapter which gives you Petunia's POV of the events that finally caused her to leave home. It's quite long and well worth the read since it gives you a lot of insight into things that I didn't cover in this chapter. Please check it out and let me know what you think. You can find a link to the story on my bio page.

A/N: Well what did you all think? Leave me a review with your thoughts.


	21. No Where Left to Hide

A/N: So it's been more than two years since I have updated, and I honestly hadn't realized it had been so long. I figured it had been a year at best. I have really no excuse other than to say that everything that has happened in my real life just seemed to get in the way of any time I had to devote to this story. I deeply apologize for anyone who was hoping for a sooner update. Thank you to all of my readers and reviewers whose encouraging words kept this story going, even when I found it difficult to write at all. And those who are new to the story, I hope that you are enjoying it. With that being said, I ask that you continue to read my stories despite the unfaithful updates. I will do my best not to disappoint you all.

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* * *

****Chapter 21- No Where Left to Hide**

Harry watched as his boyfriend went through the various piles of clothing around their room trying to find something relatively clean to wear. Tying the laces up on his trainers, Harry saw Ron pick up a blue t-shirt and sniff it hesitantly. He then nodded in satisfaction and slipped it over his head.

"You know… you better do your laundry soon or your Mum is going to come in here and clean everything out like she's been threatening to do," he commented.

"Yeah, yeah…" Ron said sarcastically, running his hands through his red hair to smooth out any stray pieces. "I'll get to it later."

Harry rolled he eyes knowing that he never would. "You finally ready?" he asked.

Ron nodded and grabbed his supply list and shoved it into his pocket. A school owl had brought them their usual Hogwarts back-to-school letters earlier this week. Harry was had already done the same and was waiting for him by the door.

A shrill voice yelled up to them down below. "Ron! Harry! Come along now! We really shouldn't keep them waiting any longer than necessary!"

Ron rolled his eyes. "We're coming, Mum!" he shouted irritably. Leaning forward he gave Harry a quick kiss on the mouth, before muttering to him, "C'mon, let's go."

They had been looking forward to this day all week. It was mid-August now and everyone was excited about the new term starting in a couple of weeks. Harry and the Weasleys were going to Diagon Alley to get their supplies for school this year.

The outing had been the topic of much debate, and many in the Order had argued that it was simply just too dangerous for the Boy-Who-Lived to be out in public after You-Know-Who's resurrection. Their biggest arguing point was the warning they had received from Sirius and Remus's contact in Bulgaria. Xavier had alluded that Voldemort was planning on attacking a wizarding village in Britain in the future, but they had no idea of knowing where or when this attack might take place. It has been the reason why there had been so much security when Harry had gone to the Magistrates Court to testify against his uncle.

Some felt that the information was too vague to be of much use. Others felt that it was necessary to hide the Boy-Who-Lived away in case of attack. Harry had felt offended to think that he could no longer live this life normally. Why couldn't he go get his school supplies like every other student? Why was he so special? Deep down he knew the answer to that, but he hated to think that he would have to live his life in fear, never to venture out because Death Eaters might snatch him. Harry knew the risks, but it was better than living a life of forced imprisonment much like he had done with the Dursleys.

Surprisingly, Sirius, who had visited him frequently over the last week, had been his strongest supporter for allowing him to go on this day trip. Harry knew it was probably because he knew what it was like to be confined to one location. When he wasn't helping the Order, he was cooped up in his mother's nasty, old house.

Ron and Harry had pleaded their case and after much deliberation it was agreed that they could all go as long as additional Order members went along with them. Bill, Tonks, and Remus were given the job and everyone felt confident that the day would go smoothly as long as they stuck to their plan. And if anything out of the ordinary should occur, they still had their emergency portkeys from before that would take them to headquarters.

Harry and Ron ran down the stairs quickly, excited to finally get a chance to get out of the Burrow and do something fun for once. Just as they reached the kitchen Ron's mum turned around and yelled, "Ron! Oh- you're here… Well let's be going then."

"Finally," muttered Fred.

"Arthur, you first… and then Ginny and then the twins. Everyone grab a handful now," Mrs. Weasley said, holding out the flower pot that they used to hold the silvery Floo powder for travel.

They each nodded and held a fistful of powder while they waited their turn. When the others had gone through, Mrs. Weasley nudged Harry forward and he took his spot in the fireplace.

"Now Harry, dear, remember to speak slowly and very clearly. We don't want you ending up in the wrong fireplace grate again. It's _Diagon Alley_ not _diagonally_," she reminded him. Her face was taught and stern looking, but her eyes revealed that she was still nervous about him even going to the wizarding village today.

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley, I know," he said softly, hoping to placate some of her fears.

"Well, be off then. Ron and I will see you again in a few seconds."

Harry nodded and then threw the floo powder down into the flames. "Diagon Alley!" he enunciated loudly and clearly.

He was overcome once again by a dizzying sensation as he watched fireplace after fireplace spin past him, until he landed solidly at his destination: The Leaky Cauldron. Harry stumbled forward, and saw that the other Weasleys had already found a table and were waiting for the rest of them to arrive. They watched, with bemused expressions on their faces, as Harry righted himself with a nearby chair.

After gaining his bearings, Harry began dusting the soot off of his clothing and began looking for his other best friend among the other patrons. They had agreed to meet her here at the Leaky Cauldron before doing their shopping together. He didn't have to wait long to find her. In fact she had found him the instant he had tumbled out of the fireplace. Without warning, Hermione had launched herself at Harry with such ferocity that he nearly fell over as she tackled him.

A pair of arms circled around his neck hugging him tightly, and the soft sounds of his friend crying filled his ears. His face still buried in her mass of bushy hair, he whispered, "Hermione? What's wrong?"

This only caused her to hug him tighter. Craning his neck away from her now, he fought to get a breath of fresh air, and saw that Ron and his mum had already arrived.

"C'mon then. Let the man breathe, Hermione," Ron scolded, carefully peeling her arms away from Harry now.

"Oh, I'm sorry… It's just… I…" she began, wiping away her tears hastily.

Both boys were about to ask her what was wrong, but from the way Hermione was staring at Harry it was clear what the matter was. She was upset about what had happened to Harry. He had only just written to her and told her the full truth of what had truly happened to him at the Dursleys. She probably didn't have time to process it all.

"I'm just so sorry, Harry…" she began again.

Harry didn't have to ask to know that she wasn't talking about nearly strangling him to death just now, but the fact that she hadn't known how bad it had been for him at the Dursleys. He simply nodded in reply, unsure of what to say.

"I wish I had known…why didn't you-" Hermione asked, her eyes filling with tears once more. "We could have-"

"Hermione, I'm fine now," Harry responded quietly, hoping that she would just drop the matter. He really didn't want to have this discussion in the middle of a crowded pub.

"I know… it's just-"

"I know," Ron responded this time, putting his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

Harry could only assume that Ron knew better than anyone else how she felt about discovering that her best friend had been abused by his relatives. It made him feel slightly uncomfortable knowing how much they always worried about him. He hated the trouble he always seemed to cause them.

Ron gave Hermione a squeeze and added, "Harry's okay now. He never has to go back there."

Hermione nodded, wiping away her tears once more. Having composed herself, she gave Harry a wobbly smile. He smiled back, knowing that Hermione probably would have done everything in her power to rescue him had she known what his life had been truly like at the Dursleys.

She looked good, Harry noticed, more relaxed than she was during the school year. Instead of school robes, she sported a pair of denim shorts and a small white t-shirt, which set off her tan nicely. Her curly hair was pulled back in a loose bun, leaving a few tendrils to curl about her face haphazardly.

Hermione looked them both over thoroughly as well and then smiled broadly. Squealing in delight she launched herself at both of them now, hugging them both tightly with one arm each. "I missed you both so much!"

"We missed you to 'Mione," Harry said, laughing now at Hermione's strange behavior. "But we just saw you a couple of weeks ago at my birthday party."

"I know, but you both look so good. What have you been up to?" she asked, still looking them over in motherly sort of way. Harry would have sworn she was checking out whether or not he had gained any more weight since she last saw him. Her eyes had lingered over Ron a moment or so longer than she had with Harry, and he felt his chest clench for reasons he couldn't exactly explain.

"Quidditch, mostly," Ron replied.

"I see…" Hermione replied, giving them a knowing look. "And I supposed you haven't gotten any homework done."

"No, we have," Harry insisted. "Though probably not as much as you."

"You might be surprised," Hermione replied, smirking coyly. "I hardly got a thing done while I was visiting Victor-"

Ron turned to Harry this point and waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh, Ron… it wasn't like that, or well… Anyway, I've tried to get some revising done while I was home, but Mum and Dad kept insisting that we take these mini-holidays to the beach. I need to really crack down now or I might not be ready before school begins."

"Yeah, right!" Ron said chuckling now.

They all knew that there was no way that Hermione was going to start off her fifth year without having already read every one of their course textbooks, especially since it was the year they would sit their O.W.L.S.

Just then a rude waiter cut through the middle of their little group levitating a tray full of beer steins behind him. Ron and Harry both caught a whiff of the dark draft beer and screwed up their faces in revulsion. Harry felt his stomach give a little lurch and he swore that he might have gotten sick in that moment, so strong was his memory of the overdose induced hangover he and Ron suffered not too long ago.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, noticing their discomfort.

"Nothing," Ron muttered, his face looking decidedly green now beneath all of his freckles.

"No, seriously, what's wrong?"

Harry went to answer, but closed his mouth instead, not trusting himself to speak with the watery sensation that was filling his mouth just now. Thankfully, Ron replied for him.

"We experimented a bit with some BetterBeers that the twins gave Harry for his birthday," Ron replied. "Got really sick. It wasn't pretty. I guess the smell of beer still bothers us a bit."

"Butterbeers got you drunk?" she asked incredulously, looking back and forth between them. "How is that possible? I know they are mildly…"

"Not Butterbeers. Betterbeers. It's a special formula the twins created to change a non-alcoholic beverage into alcohol," he replied, still grimacing.

Hermione studied them both carefully, looking as though she were trying to decide to scold them or not. "Did you know it was alcoholic before you tried them?"

They both nodded sheepishly.

"What! I can't believe you two!" Hermione admonished. "You are both underage-"

"-of all the irresponsible things to do!" Ron finished for her in a mocking voice. "We know, we know. My Mum and dad both gave us an earful, okay? It was stupid and we won't do it again. Happy now?"

Hermione sighed, looking as though someone had let all of the wind out of her sails. Ron had stolen her opportunity for a lecture, which she so loved doling out. She was thoughtful for a moment and finally nodded.

"You both got sick?"

"Yeah, though Harry was a little worse off," Ron replied.

"Serves you right," she said, folding hefr arms over her chest. "But I'm glad you are both feeling better."

Harry rolled his eyes at his friend. He could always count on Hermione to look out for them.

"Well, are we ready to go now?" Harry asked.

"Sure," Hermione and Ron both replied.

The trio quickly found the others, who had been waiting for their little reunion to finish. The twins and Ginny were seated at a nearby table looking over their own supply lists. And Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were talking Bill, Tonks, and Remus, who had Apparated there, about how they were going to handle the security around Harry and the others during their shopping trip.

Harry knew that Sirius had wanted to come as well, but they couldn't chance anyone discovering his true identity. He was still a fugitive, and it did not appear that his innocence would be proven any time soon. He could not attend in his dog form because most shops didn't allow such large animals. Sirius had even asked to use a Polyjuice Potion, but the rest of the Order agreed that it was one more thing they had to worry about and that it was an unnecessary risk.

Once the adults seemed reasonably sure that they could keep Harry safe, they set out on their shopping trip. The large group was expected to assume a formation whenever they were on the street. Bill and Remus walked ahead of them, keeping a watchful eye, but chatted with another so as to not to arouse suspicion. Then came the twins and Ginny with Tonks. Then Harry, Ron and Hermione, and finally Mr. and Mrs. Weasley followed them from behind.

Each adult carried an emergency portkey, like they had used when Harry was taken to the courthouse to testify. If there was any sign of trouble they would be immediately taken to Hogwarts.

Like before, Harry felt badly about all of the precautions that had to be taken to assure his safety. He always felt like he was putting these people out for all of the trouble he seemed to cause, but he appreciated what they were doing for him all the same.

Their first stop, as always, was to Gringott's Wizarding Bank. They passed through the bronze and silver doors that were the entrance to the lobby, and made their way across the marble floor to the long counters that stretched along the length of the main hall. Tonks offered to help Hermione exchange some of the Muggle money she had brought with her for Galleons and Knuts on the other side of the hall. The rest of the group walked up to the main counter and waited for one of the Goblins to help them.

Finally a disgruntled looking Goblin made his way over to them. Harry recognized him from his first trip to the Bank when he was eleven. He distantly remembered the creature being named Griphook.

"Can I help you?" Griphook asked, looking almost annoyed like they were disturbing him in some way.

"I need to make a withdrawal," Harry said politely.

"Do you have a key?"

Harry nodded and held it up.

"Right this way then," said Griphook, motioning Harry to follow.

Ron began to tag along with his friend until his mother stopped him. "No, Ron, we'll wait here for Harry."

"Don't we need to make a withdrawal too, Mum?" asked Ron.

"No, I already have what we need," his mother replied.

"Oh," said Ron, looking a little disheartened.

Harry gave a small smile as Ron made his way over to his brothers and sister and sat down beside them on the marble bench to wait.

Harry heard Fred whisper under his breath, "There's probably nothing to withdraw…" He quieted when he saw the glare his mother was giving him.

Harry thought again about how much this family had done for him. He knew they struggled financially and he hated to think about how he was just another mouth to feed. He wondered if he could transfer some of his gold to Weasley's vault to repay them for all that they had done for him. He made a mental note to look into it when they were back as school. He was fairly certain that if he made the offer to them personally that he would be turned down.

Following Griphook down the stone stairway to where the carts were, Harry soon realized Mr. Weasley and Remus were going to accompany Harry to his vault. The death-defying trip in the cart through rough stone passageways to depths of the cavernous vaults below Gringott's was a short one. Harry quickly retrieved what he thought he would need from his vault and made his way back to the surface in no time at all. Although he had enjoyed the thrill of roller coaster style ride, it was clear that Mr. Weasley and Remus had not. Both looked a little pale, Harry noticed, after they arrived back at the main Hall.

Harry made sure that the money he had withdrawn was secure in the small pouch he carried in his pocket and made his way over to Hermione, Tonks, Ron, and his family.

"Are you all set?" Mrs. Weasley asked him.

Harry nodded and the group made their way outside. It wasn't long before they found their way to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Harry, Hermione, and Ginny each were in need of new robes so they tried on many.

Harry personally hated shopping for clothes, having no real experience with it. He never knew what size to get or what looked right on him. He tried on robe after robe, tossing each one aside as he became more and more agitated. He could probably have the owner size him with her tape measure like she did the first time he came into the store, but he didn't want to hear any more comments about his small size again. So he muddled through on his own. He realized too late that one of the robes he had chosen was much too large on him. Somehow or another he got trapped inside of the stupid thing and couldn't get out. It felt as thought it was smothering him with its heavy woolen folds

When he hadn't come out in a long while, one of the twins banged on the door and shouted in at him. "Oy, Harry! What's taking you so long?"

"Yeah. Do you need some help? Because we could send Ronnie here to help you," said the other twin. Their voices were nearly indistinguishable.

"No, I'm alright," Harry replied quickly, his face flushing with embarrassment, though he knew he couldn't be seen in the dressing room. They hadn't really said anything to "out" him and Ron, but they were a little too close to the truth for Harry's liking.

"Are you sure? Because I'm positive that Ron would lo-"

"Shut up!" Harry heard Ron yell exasperatedly.

"That's enough now boys," Mrs. Weasley then said. Maybe the twins' finding out _was_ a bad idea.

Frustrated by the many colors and styles, Harry chose to purchase only a set of school robes and went to the register. He figured if he ever needed robes for other occasions that he'd deal with it later.

Hermione and Ginny, however, seemed to be enjoying themselves. They marveled all the types of robes which included one that were spangled, self-ironing and repairing, beautifying, slimming, fattening, lengthening, and temperature-adjusting. They seemed to take forever to select what they wanted to buy, modeling each robe, looking for comments and annoying the rest of the group immensely.

When they were done trying everything on, Harry noticed that Hermione seemed excited about her purchase, but Ginny looked quite disheartened. After all that time picking out which of the beautiful robes she wanted, her mother had quietly told her that she had to go with something a little more practical- which in other words meant second hand. Ginny had looked like she had wanted to argue, but when she noticed that her brothers weren't getting any robes at all, she said nothing.

Mrs. Weasley seemed very uncomfortable about it all, obviously wishing she could provide more for her children. She doled out the money to pay Madam Malkin carefully, removing each coin from her purse carefully, as if any sudden movement may make it all disappear. It pained Harry to see this family struggle so much financially, especially after everything they had done for him. He knew now that he had to do something to repay them for their kindness.

After Remus and Bill had staked out their next destination, the group quietly walked to Flourish & Blotts to retrieve their books. For a large bookshop, the store was even more crowded than usual and one had to be careful not to knock of over the piles of books stacked floor to ceiling. While the Weasleys weren't looking, Harry asked Remus to accompany him to the register.

"Whatever for?" asked his old professor, seeming hesitant to leave the rest of the group. "You haven't got any of your books yet."

"I need to do something, okay?" Harry asked. "But I don't want anyone else to know."

Remus nodded, looking quite perplexed. Harry turned away so that Remus could follow, but accidentally bumped into another customer. "Sorry about that," he quickly muttered.

The young man studied Harry carefully for a long before nodding and turning away. Seeing that no harm was done, Harry continued his way over to register, turning to make sure that Remus was still following. In doing so, he caught the dark haired man still watching him and it made him a little uneasy.

Harry had gotten that a lot today. He had been told how The Daily Prophet had been writing a number of things about him since the Tri-wizard Tournament. People who recognized Harry tended to react one of two ways. They either agreed with the Ministry's point of view and didn't believe that Voldemort had returned, or they did believe it had happened and were frightened because of it. They gave him looks of disdain or fear usually, but some gave him a sad endearing look, sorry that he had gone through so much. In either case, it made Harry feel very uncomfortable that his celebrity status didn't seem ending anytime soon.

Harry and Remus continued through the many aisles of books stack floor to ceiling on their way to the register. There they found a doughty looking old woman dressed in gray robes that exactly matched the color of her hair.

"What can I do for you?" asked the sales woman, noticing that Harry had nothing in his hands to purchase.

"I'd like to start a tab for the Weasleys. Can you do me a favor and tell them when they go to pay for their things that they already have credit on their account?" asked Harry, pulling out a large handful of galleons and placing them in front of her on the counter. "If they ask why, maybe you could make something up."

"I don't understand. Why?" she asked, peering over her half moon spectacles at the large pile of glittering coins.

"Please," Harry pleaded. "I want to do something nice for them, but I don't want them to know."

"This is somewhat unusual," the sales woman began again, looking perplexed, "I'm not sure what I'd say."

Thankfully Remus stepped forward and said, "Just do as he says, please."

After some hesitation she finally nodded and began to count what she had been given. She then used to her wand to make an entry into a log book before depositing the money into the cash register. Remus put a hand on Harry's shoulder as they turned away and said, "That was very kind, Harry."

Harry smiled at Remus's praise and quickly went to find his friends before they began to worry.

"Harry, there you are," said Hermione, grabbing him by the sleeve. "We thought you might have gotten lost in one of the stacks. Our defense textbooks are right this way…"

Harry allowed her to drag him towards the rest of the group satisfied that he was able to do something nice for the family he cared so much, no matter how small the gesture was.

The looks on the Weasleys' faces later when they learned that they didn't have to pay for anything today had been priceless. Especially when they learned they still had some credit left. When Mr. Weasley inquired how this was possible, the sales woman quickly made up some story about how they had earned discount for their frequent patronage and that they had been overcharged over the years which had added up to a large credit on their account. It was clear that Mr. Weasley didn't believe the story, but gratefully accepted it all the same. As they were leaving, Mr. Weasley quietly pulled Harry aside and thanked him for his kindness and explained that it wasn't necessary.

"We'll pay you back, Harry," he said softly, amazed that the man had figured it all out so quickly.

"Please don't. I meant it as a gift," Harry pleaded.

Mr. Weasley stared at him for a moment searchingly before say thank you once more. Harry nodded and quickly caught up again with his friends.

* * *

Hermione was having a wonderful day. She loved spending time with her friends, even more so when she had the opportunity to do it in a wizarding village. She loved all the chaos of the market street of Diagon Alley. Wizards and witches of all sorts mingled about greeting friends and shopping the many storefronts. Vendors stalked up and down the street with their carts selling their magical wares and shops were overflowing with the most marvelous things. Hermione had already purchased a beautiful set of robes and quite a few wizarding books to compliment their fifth year texts. They were on their way to visit the apothecary to refill their potion supplies, and she was feeling quite good about everything for the first time since the end of their fourth year a couple of months ago.

Hermione had never felt quite like she belonged in the Muggle world, having always had peculiar things happen around her. She couldn't have been more overjoyed than when she first learned that she was a witch. Since then she had done everything she could to properly acclimate herself to this wonderful magical world. And she never felt like she belonged more than when she was with her two best friends. Having never really had any true friends before she came to Hogwarts, she had come to rely on their friendship in ways she could only begin to comprehend. Ron and Harry had fully accepted her, even with her silly obsession with her school work, and she had done the same for them.

So when she began to feel like a third wheel after a few short hours of hanging out with them, she couldn't have been more surprised. In all the years that she had known them, they had always been the Golden Trio. And for reasons she couldn't quite understand Ron and Harry seemed more like a duo now. When Hermione first began to notice how close Harry and Ron had become, she swore it was all in her head. She assumed their closeness was because Harry was staying at the Burrow because of what had happened at the Dursleys, but as the day wore one she couldn't shake that niggling feeling in the pit of her stomach that there was more to than that. Something had changed. But exactly what that was she couldn't be sure.

It had started off innocently enough. Ron and Harry would share some knowing look and then burst out laughing, or they would whisper some comment to one another unaware that they were leaving Hermione out of their inside jokes. But there were other things too. Things that made Hermione question how well she knew her boys after all.

She wanted to believe that she was seeing more to it than there really was, but how could you ignore how Harry held almost every door open for Ron or how Ron would sometimes put his hand at the small of Harry's back as he led them through some shop. Or the sidelong glances they would make at one another when they thought no one was looking. And she was positive that Harry was responsible for the money left on the Weasley's account at Flourish and Botts. Then there were those weird comments that the twins had made while they were at Madam Malkin's. Did they know something that Hermione didn't? What exactly was going on? Why didn't anyone else see it? Or maybe they all did, but didn't want to say anything. Maybe she was the only one who didn't know.

Hermione didn't even want to speculate any further, hoping that she was making something out of nothing. But the gnawing feeling that something had fundamentally changed in their relationship wouldn't leave her alone and she wasn't sure how she felt about it. More than anything she felt hurt for some reason, though if she were asked she would never be able to explain why.

Deciding not to give it another thought for now, she focused on having fun, which was what today was supposed to be about. Harry had had enough problems already this summer and she would never deny him any amount of happiness no matter the form that it came in. Determined more than ever to stay positive for Harry, she joined the group in the conversation about who might be their defense teacher this year as they left the apothecary. She squashed any odd feelings that she had about her friends to deal with another time.

However, later on in the afternoon, when she had a chance to speak with Ron alone she decided to see if she couldn't get something out of him.

"So you swear that Harry is doing okay?" Hermione asked Ron for the umpteenth time since she had pulled him outside of Eeylops Owl Emporium.

They peered through the dirty window to where their friend was standing inside with Remus. Harry was buying some treats for Hedwig- explaining that he had felt badly about not spending more time with her after what had happened over the last month- and had found himself in a ridiculously long queue. The small shop was dark and smelled slightly of the birds that it sold. Preferring some fresh air, Ron and Hermione had chosen to get out of the way of the other customers and were currently waiting for their friend just outside the shop. Ron hadn't exactly wanted to leave Harry's side, but Hermione had insisted that she wanted to speak to him alone and out of ear shot of their best friend.

Ron's parents were standing only a few feet away, scanning the crowd and giving them a bit of privacy. The twins had asked if they could go to Gambol and Japes Joke Shop. Their mother had finally relented when she could no longer bear their incessant pleading. Bill and Tonks had agreed to accompany them and Ginny tagged along. Everyone agreed it was safer in numbers.

"He's fine, Hermione," replied Ron, sighing at his friend's unending curiosity. "He's got some stuff to work through, but he'll be okay."

Hermione nodded trying to understand. "Did he actually tell you what happened to him at the Dursleys?"

"No, not exactly," Ron mumbled.

"What do you mean?"

"I kind of saw something…" he began, but Ron stopped himself. He looked as though he was unsure how much to tell her.

"Saw what?"

Ron sighed again and looked as though he was trying to decide what to tell her. "I saw scars… on his back… from where his uncle had whipped him with a belt…" Ron whispered.

Hermione's eyes went wide and she clapped a hand over her mouth in shock. She never imagined it had gotten that bad and was completely horrified. "Oh my…"

Ron nodded and continued. "Harry realized what I saw and we got into a fight about it…. He didn't want to admit to what happened. I kind of forced the truth out of him…"

Part of Hermione wanted to reprimand Ron for pushing Harry, but she also wanted to continue to pump him for more answers. In the end curiosity won out. "What did he say?" she asked.

"Not much. He tried to deny it as first," Ron began, trying to clear the hoarseness out of his throat that had suddenly appeared. "When he finally did admit to it, he was still kind of vague about it all. They used to lock him up in that cupboard for days when he was little. They really were starving him, Hermione…and…."

"And what? Was it really bad?" Hermione asked, urging him to go on.

Ron nodded and looked to see where Harry was at in line and continued. "His uncle was hitting him all the time. We knew he they worked him like a house elf, but Dursley made Harry take a job this summer to help with the finances when his uncle lost his job. Had to give them all of the money he earned and help out at home. Things got pretty bad, I think. His uncle was drinking a lot, going after his wife too… After the accident Petunia took Dudley and finally left him."

"I can hardly believe it," Hermione said, shaking her head sadly. Even with the letter Harry had sent her, she never would have guessed at how bad it truly was. She couldn't fathom how Harry had ever lived like that. "I didn't realize it was that bad."

Hermione felt the tears well up in her eyes and saw that Ron seemed to be struggling as well. He gulped and she wondered if he was trying to swallow the same enormous lump that she had in the back of her throat. She felt comforted to know that she wasn't the only one feeling misty. They were both silent for a long while not knowing what to say.

"When are the trials?"

"Next week, I think," said Ron, clearing his throat loudly now.

"You both seem closer now," Hermione finally commented, wondering how he would answer.

Ron looked very uncomfortable and looked away from her prying eyes. He shrugged and said something inaudible to her.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Nothing. Just that we've just been hanging out a lot is all," Ron quickly replied.

"I thought maybe…"

"What?" asked Ron looking quite startled.

Before Hermione could reply, Harry came busting out of the doors of the Eyelops, closely followed by Remus. "Hey guys. Sorry about that. I didn't realize that would take so long."

"No problem, mate," Ron quickly replied.

Harry looked at them both, sensing that something was amiss. "Everything alright?"

"Sure," said Hermione, thinking of how she could quickly change the subject. "Just thinking about taking you both out for some ice cream."

"Yeah?" asked Harry, looking excited about the prospect.

Hermione nodded and looked to Ron to see if he was interested but found that he was already striding towards his parents. "Mum, Dad, we're going for ice cream!" he said excitedly.

Harry and Hermione laughed as their red headed friend led the way, much to the chagrin of Remus who was trying to stay ahead of him in order to stake out the small shop just in case.

* * *

Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour was located just a few storefronts down from Eyelops and situated near the center of town. The three friends, Remus, and Ron's parents had settled down at a couple of the outdoor tables to enjoy their sundaes and wait for the others to finish their shopping at Gambol and Jape's, which was situated a little farther down Diagon Alley. From this position they would be able to spot the others as they made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron, where they were supposed to rendezvous.

Ron was surprised when Hermione didn't end up having to treat them to sundaes at all. They all got free sundaes on account they were friends with the Boy-Who-Lived. Harry had apparently spent time here a couple of summers ago working on his summer holiday assignments before his third year. Florean himself had helped Harry with a history of magic essay on witch burnings. The man seemed quite excited to have someone with such celebrity status frequent his ice cream parlour again, and gave them all free sundaes.

Ron tried to ignore the funny looks that Hermione was sending Harry and him, but it was clear that she had noticed something about them. He wondered if she had finally figured it out the truth and was oddly afraid of what she might think. He decided to make it a point to talk to Harry about it later and focused on eating his delicious sundae.

It was then that Ron suddenly felt a familiar shiver go down his spine. He looked down at his half eaten sundae and wondered if it was the dessert that was making him so chilled. But there was something different in the air and he suddenly knew that there was something more sinister at play. The air had grown considerably colder and it looked as though clouds were blocking out the sun because there was shade now where there once was not. Their sunny day had just become the horrifying darkness of the night. Magically sensing the change in the amount of light, the gas street lights flared to life. Everyone in Diagon Alley paused and held their breaths in anticipation.

"What is going on?" Hermione asked fearfully.

Glancing at Harry, Ron saw that his normally bright green eyes had dulled and that he was shivering as well. He looked as though he would never be happy again.

"Ron…" Harry began weakly. "I think…."

"Dementors!" Remus shouted, jumping to his feet and brandishing his wand.

The three friends jumped to their feet as well, and pulled their wands out at the ready. They stared in shock as ten of the loathsome creatures slowly came down Digaon Alley from either side of them as a dense, chilly fog began to envelope the wizarding village. Ron watched in horror as the dark hooded creatures began to stalk back and forth as witches and wizards parted to allow them passage, assuming they were sent here from Azkaban. They appeared to be searching for something, or someone, in particular.

"Who are they looking for?" Hermione asked, drawing closer to them.

Neither Ron nor Harry responded. Without voicing it allowed, they knew they were all thinking that the Dementors were still hunting for Sirius. It was a good thing that hadn't allowed him to come today as he had wanted.

Ron felt Harry begin to shrink away from them, and he instinctively reached out and grabbed his hand to make sure that he stayed with them and didn't try anything foolish.

It soon became clear that something was wrong. They seemed to grow restless and the Dementors started to randomly attack people on the street. The crowd began to scream and run in every which direction. A few brave souls cast patronus charms, driving a few of the Dementors away, but they were soon overwhelmed by the rest of the Dementors and fell to the ground soulless and dead. Ron had never seen the "Kiss" used before and was horrified at what an unspeakable thing it was to witness.

"The Ministry isn't controlling this. They must be working for Voldemort!" Remus shouted. "We must leave!"

Remus and Ron's parents quickly cast patonuses of their own, driving back a group of Dementors who had come too near to them. Thankfully they were not attacked by any others.

"What about Fred, George, and Ginny?" his mum asked worriedly.

"Bill and Tonks will take care of them," Ron's dad reassured her. "We need to get the kids out of here."

Just when things couldn't be any worse, Death Eaters began Apparating in all over Diagon Alley and joined the hunt alongside the Dementors for whoever they were looking for. Carts were over turned and various spells were cast as the wizards in dark robes and white masks began to terrorize the village.

"Let's go!" Remus shouted, quickly turning towards them. He began to reach into his pocket for the emergency portkey when he was shot from behind by a red light. Remus lay motionless on the ground, out cold, from a random stunner.

"Remus!" Harry shouted over the din. He tried to run over to him, but Ron held him back, eyeing the Death Eaters that were beginning to surround their location. It didn't appear that they had been recognized yet through the numerous other patrons of Diagon Alley that were fleeing for safety, but it was only a matter of time.

"Run!" his father shouted at them, throwing stunners in every which direction to hold off an attack.

His Mum came running towards and pushed them towards the safety of the ice cream parlour. There was no way they could activate the emergency portkey out in the open like this. Even a second's hesitation would be enough to take them down before it was activated. And there was no way his mother could side along Apparate all of them at once. They were about to run inside when they saw a Death Eater come in through the back and threaten Florean. He noticed their presence in the doorway and came stalking towards them, recognition in his ice blue eyes peering out from beneath his mask.

"This way!" Ron's Mum shouted, pulling them away from the Death Eater before he could get off a curse.

They ran away from the ice cream parlour, leaving his father behind to draw away an attack. They quickly ducked down an alley, hoping to escape. Ron knew instinctively it had to be Harry that they were looking for, and he glanced down at the boy running along beside him. He didn't look good at all. Harry was pale and shaking, obviously being affected by all of the Dementors. Hermione looked terrified as well.

They kept moving down the alley, hoping to get out of sight of the Death Eater before he caught up to them. Ron could only pray that his father and brothers and sister made out of this alive. They quickly reached the back of the building.

His mother pulled the emergency portkey out and quickly glanced around. Seeing no one, she tapped the small shovel that was their portkey and activated it. Nothing happened, so she tried again. But before they could all touch it, a Death Eater Apparated onto a terrace above them and cast a spell at his mother. It blasted the portkey out of her hand, effectively destroying it and knocking her off her feet.

Ron watched in horror as the Death Eater jumped down from the terrace onto the alley below. His mother scooted away from him, holding her now burned hand to her protectively. She raised her wand to cast spell, but was hit with some kind of purple lighted curse before she could do anything. She fell back unconscious onto the dirty alleyway.

"Mum! No!" Ron shouted, as he advanced on the Death Eater. _"Expelliarmus!"_

"_Protego_!" shouted the Death Eater at the same time, blocking Ron from disarming him. He then shouted, "_Incarcerous_!"

Thick ropes shot out of his wand and effectively wrapped themselves around Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Ron struggled against the bonds, but found that he couldn't move an inch and he screamed in frustration.

The Death Eater advanced upon them laughing smugly at their situation. "My, my, my… if it isn't Potter and his little friends. What a pity that you were unable to defend yourselves from the likes of me," he said, his ice blue eyes glittering menacingly.

Ron recognized those eyes. They were the same ones they had just seen in the ice cream parlour and the same as one of his most hated classmates. This was none other than Malfoy Senior.

"Oh yeah?" asked Hermione, before throwing a simple stunner at Lucius Malfoy. The man went down quickly, leaving Harry and Ron in shock.

"How did you do that?" asked Harry, as Hermione used her wand to undo the ropes binding all of them together.

Hermione shrugged and said, "My wand arm somehow was free when the ropes wrapped around us. Malfoy assumed that he had the better of us."

"We should be going," Ron said, looking around warily.

Harry nodded, but first went over and cast the petrifying spell on Malfoy in case he woke up from Hermione's stunner.

Ron knelt down and making sure his mother was alright. "Mum? Mum can you hear me?" he asked, but there was no response. Her hand was in bad shape and she looked pale as death. Ron reached down and felt for a pulse in her neck, terrified as to what he might find. Thankfully he found one. It was faint, but it was there.

"Is she okay?" Harry asked, clearly upset for him.

"I don't know."

Hermione reached out and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Ron, we have to keep moving…"

Harry nodded, searching the alley for any signs of pending attack.

Ron knew they were right, but he didn't know how any of them were going to survive any of this. "You guys… I can't leave my Mum like this…" Ron began, "I don't know what's happened to my dad, and I…" he stopped, his voice suddenly choked with emotion.

"It's okay, Ron," said Harry, laying a hand on Ron's shoulder. "We'll get through this together. We won't leave her behind. We can levitate her if we have to."

Ron saw Hermione inspecting the disabled portkey and asked, "Can it be reactivated?"

"I don't think so," she replied with a shake of her head. "I wish now that I would have studied how to make these things…"

"Well, we can't Apparate, but maybe we can Floo out of here… does anyone know where the nearest fireplace is?" Harry asked hopefully.

"I think most of the stores have one. We should try to enter the back of one of them and see," Ron suggested.

Harry and Hermione nodded in consent and began to look back and forth behind all of the shops checking to make sure they were alone. It was hard to see without any light because of the darkened and misty sky. Ron cast a levitation charm on his Mum, knowing that it would be easier than trying to carry her, and floated her along behind them.

"We should go this way," said Hermione pointing towards one of the darkened directions.

"Why that way?" asked Harry.

"The other way will lead us behind Knockturn Alley," she replied matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, I'd rather not go there again," said Harry, walking determinedly in the direction Hermione had pointed towards.

They had only walked a few paces when a Dementor was suddenly upon them. It had flown down from above and almost immediately began to attack Harry. Seeing that he was in distress, Ron and Hermione both tried to cast a Patronus of their own but found they were not strong enough to scare it away. They only seemed to make it mad. The foul creature quickly threw aside their feeble lighted attempts as if it were child's play.

Harry began to moan from where he had limply fallen to the ground. Unable to stand it Ron threw himself over Harry's body in an attempt to shield him from the Dementor. He had barely grabbed a hold of his friend when he was grabbed from behind and thrown against the alley wall. Ron fell to his knees and Hermione quickly ran over to him and helped him up.

Unsure of what else they could do, they watched helplessly as the Dementor leaned down to their friend to administer a "kiss." They screamed in despair for Harry to do something, and Ron could only imagine all of the awful things Harry was reliving at that moment.

"Harry! I know you can do this," shouted Hermione. "I've seen you attack hundreds of Dementors at once. Don't give up now!"

Thankfully Harry summoned the strength before it was too late, and cast his Patronus. Ron was awed by the sheer size and power of it. The brilliant silver stag chased the Dementor away before running down the alley from where they came and disappeared into the darkness. Ron left his mother floating behind him and quickly wrapped his arm protectively around Harry, making sure that was alright. He helped him up and notice that he was shivering.

"Harry! That was amazing!" Hermione said in approval.

"We need to move quickly," said Harry, still shaking from the ordeal. "Someone is bound to have seen that."

Ron nodded, still marveling at how the Patrnous had lit up the blackened sky. "Let's try this door here."

Harry tried the handle, but found the door to be locked. Thankfully it unlocked with a simple "_alohamora_" spell. They stepped inside, carefully directing Ron's mum behind them, and found the interior to be completely dark. Moving past all of the storage boxes they cautiously entered the front of the store.

They soon realized that they were in a shop full of musical instruments. Ron nearly tripped over a set of drums lying in the middle of the floor and reached out to steady himself, only to pull on a set of chimes. It was all he could do to stop them all from chiming at once.

"Shhhh!!" Hermione and Harry shushed him fiercely.

"Sorry," he whispered, gently stopping the chimes from banging about.

From here they could hear more clearly the chaos that was still happening on the main street. People were running and screaming fearfully. It was terrifying to say the least and they knew they had to be careful. They sighed in relief when they found that the store indeed had a fireplace. They quickly looked about for the Floo powder.

"Here it is," said Hermione, grabbing a dusty old looking bag from atop the store counter. "Where should we go? Back to the Burrow? Headquarters? Hogwarts?"

"Hogwarts," said Harry determinedly. "That's where we were going to portkey to. Besides, Dumbledore needs to be informed if he hasn't already."

Ron and Hermione nodded and three stepped inside the large fireplace together carefully holding up Ron's Mum. "On three," said Harry. "One, two, three!"

They each threw down a handful of powder and said, "Hogwarts!"

The fireplace glowed bright pink for a second, instead of the traditional green, and they soon realized they were still in the music shop.

"What happened? Why are we still here?" asked Hermione.

A bald head popped up from behind the counter and Hermione screamed. "Shhh!!" the old man whispered fiercely, darting a glance outside. "There's no way out of here."

"Why didn't your Floo work?" Ron asked.

There were real tears in the mans pale eyes as he explained. "They somehow shut down the Floo network and they cast an anti-disapparation net over all of Diagon Alley. There's no escape!"

Ron, Hermione, and Harry glanced at each other nervously wondering what they were going to do next. Stepping out of the fireplace, they carefully levitated Ron's mum behind the store counter where the old man was trying to hide. They lay her down gently on the dusty floor, and then kneeled beside her protectively.

"Molly?" the old man asked. The three nodded at him in surprise. "We used to be school mates, she and I," he explained.

"Can you make a portkey?" Ron asked hopefully.

"I tried that too… wouldn't work…" the man said, his voice tight and pinched.

"What are we going to do?" Hermione asked, tears springing to her eyes. Her once beautiful white t-shirt was now streaked with dirt, and she looked exhausted and pitiful already.

"I don't know," said Harry. He wasn't looking much better, still suffering the effects of the Dementors. He looked like he was barely holding on. Seeing his friends like this, Ron felt more determined than ever to get them all out of this alive. Harry continued, "We should have known better. Sirius's contact said that there was going to be an attack on a wizarding village in Britain soon."

"Yes, but Britain is rather large. We couldn't have known that it was going to Diagon Alley," Hermione countered.

Harry nodded, but then asked curiously, "How were they able to shut down the Floo Network?"

"They must have someone inside the Ministry…" Ron said absentmindedly, admiring how strategic and devastating that move was. It was brilliant really. What better way to capture your enemy than to disable all their routes of escape.

Several quiet minutes past as they listened to the sounds of the attack outside, hoping that they wouldn't be found. Ron's mother wasn't looking any better than before, but thankfully she wasn't any worse either. They were still unable to wake her up even with magic. The gentleman had cast a spell to heal the burn on her hand as best as he could, but that was the extent of his healing knowledge. Ron was checking her pulse once more, when he heard Harry gasp sharply.

"What is it?" Ron asked worriedly.

"My scar, it's burning," Harry replied, his voice choked with pain as he pressed his fingers against the scar on his forehead. "He's here…"

"You-Know-Who?" Ron asked fearfully. "Where?"

"I don't know, but he's close…" Harry said, his teeth clenched tightly. He then doubled over in pain.

"Harry?" Ron asked, placing a hand on his boyfriend's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Harry shook his head. "Ron, I can't face him again… not so soon… I won't be strong enough," he pleaded.

"We should get him out of here," Hermione suggested. "We could go back out the way we came. Maybe we can find a way out of here and into Muggle London. It might be safer."

"I don't know…" said Ron hesitantly, glancing at his mum. He wanted to get his friend to safety, but he didn't like the idea of leaving his mum and there would be no way for them to get her into Muggle London without causing a scene.

Harry doubled over once more crying out in pain. "Ron… please…he'll find me here, I'm sure…"

The old man they were hiding with took pity on them. "There's a trap door beneath my storage room. I was going to use it as a last resort. And it looks like this is it… leave your Mum with me."

"What?" asked Ron, too shocked to comprehend what was about to happen.

"You go with your friend. She can stay with me," he insisted. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of her."

"Ron, it's our best option," Hermione tried to explain, "Right now we're sitting ducks. They want Harry, you know that. Your Mum is more at risk the longer she says with us."

Ron hated the indecision he was feeling right now. He certainly didn't want Harry to come to harm, but he hated the idea of leaving his mother behind. In the end he decided that Harry needed him more right now.

"I guess you're right," Ron finally said, hating the idea thoroughly but knowing that this may be their only option. "Let's go!"

The old man directed them where the trapdoor was, opened it slowly, and crawled down inside. Carefully they levitated his mother down into the hole after the man.

"Go quickly! Before they find us. I'll cast a notice me not charm and hopefully it will keep us hidden," he said. "I promise to keep her safe."

Ron began to close the trap door, but then turned back asked, "What's your name?"

"Herbert… Herbert Henshaw…."

"Thank you… my name is…"

"Ron Weasley, I know. Your mother and I have kept in touch over the years… now go…" said Herbert.

Ron nodded and turned back to his friends. Hermione was practically holding Harry up he was in so much pain. He took her place and wrapped Harry's arm around his shoulder to support him better. Together they peeked cautiously out the back door before slipping out into the darkness.

They walked silently farther down the alley, hoping to find some type of exit out of Diagon Alley, or at the very least make it to the Leaky Cauldron. Maybe they could make it into London and somehow get to Number 12 Grimmauld Place, the Order of the Phoenix's Headquarters, to get help for the others. There was no way three untrained students would be able to take on a herd of Dementors and a dozen or so Death Eaters on their own.

Ron led the way, followed by Harry, and then Hermione down the narrow passage. It was still dark as night, even though it was in the middle of the afternoon, so the Dementors were clearly around here somewhere. The farther they got the better of Harry seemed so it appeared as though they were going in the right direction, away from Voldemort. They moved slowly, knowing that stealth was the only thing on their side at this point. They held their wands tightly in front of them waiting for any sign of attack.

They searched the back walls of the alley, sometimes tapping it lightly with their wands, hoping to find an entrance out of here like the one at the Leaky Cauldron. But much to their dismay, they found nothing. There were a few smaller alley openings back to the main street but they dared not take these for fear of being discovered. As it was it took every ounce of courage to even pass by them in search of escape.

They seemed to be nearing the end when they heard voices up ahead. They froze, listening to what they were saying.

_"This is foolish!"_

_"Are you questioning the Dark Lord?"_ asked another voice, sounding quite menacing.

_"No, no, of course not. I just don't think the kid is here anymore. Why are we searching these alleys anyway?"_

_"You know why," _said a third voice.

_"Let's just keep moving!"_

Together they started backing up slowly, hoping not to draw the attention of the three Death Eaters ahead of them. When they felt they were far enough away, they turned and began walking quickly towards the direction from which they just came. Thankfully the alley itself was curved slightly so it was impossible to see more then a ten or so meters around its bend. It gave them enough cover to avoid detection. They continued moving and this time they spotted a young woman, barely out of school, hiding among a pile of garbage cans. They had not noticed her before in the darkness.

Harry silently motioned her to follow them, but she shook her head fiercely. He tried again and reached out to take her hand, but shrank back fearfully. Regrettably they didn't have time to argue with her. If they didn't keep moving they were going to be discovered. They left her behind and continued on their way. However, a moment later they heard the young woman scream in fear.

_"Did you see anyone?"_

She screamed again and they could only imagine what was happening to her. They kept moving quietly, keeping to the shadows.

_"Did you see anyone?"_

_"Y-yes… they went that way…" she moaned pitifully._

They heard footsteps running in their direction. Knowing they were about to be discovered they began to sprint. They ran behind all of the buildings and past the music shop where Ron's mother still hopefully lay hidden. They also ran past Lucius where he still lay with ropes tightly wrapped around him. Eventually they encountered a dead end. Quickly retracing their steps they darted down the closest alley, which led back to the main street.

"Should we climb to the roof?" Hermione whispered breathlessly, eyeing a precarious fire escape above them.

Harry shook his head, pushing them ahead. "There's no time. And the Dementors are probably floating overhead."

They heard the footsteps approaching again and dared being out in the open in order to escape. They found themselves on unfamiliar territory and Ron instinctively knew that they were in Knockturn Alley. Eyeing the streets they saw the white pillars of Gringotts looming in the distance just ahead and decided to make a break for it.

"Gringotts! Go!" he shouted. Ron felt sure that if anywhere was safe it would be within these stone walls. Goblins didn't care for Dark Wizards any more than they did.

They ran at full speed now, well aware that at any second they might be attacked. The Death Eaters that had been hunting them finally spotted them a few meters away and renewed their chase, firing spells at them without hesitation.

Ron felt one graze his left shoulder, slicing the skin open, but he didn't stop for a second to think about the pain. This was a life and death situation. They reached the main street and quickly realized that there was truly no escape.

Death Eaters were engaged in a battle with various witches and wizards to the right of them. Dementors were hovering only a few meters away to their left waiting for a chance to capture some prey. Behind them were there were still the Death Eaters chasing them and in front at the center of it all was Voldemort, standing gloriously in front of the massive doors of Gringott's watching the carnage. Ron had obviously never seen the snake faced man before and Harry's description certainly didn't capture the true essence of his evilness. He was more horrifying that Ron ever expected.

With no where else to go, the threesome saw an overturned cart in the road and ran for cover. The Death Eaters pursuing them from behind had not stopped their chase and were still firing upon them.

"Harry, get down!" Ron shouted, shoving him to the ground as a bright red stunning hex past over their heads.

They collapsed into a heap beside one another, sucking air into their winded lungs. Harry clutched his forehead once more, wincing in pain.

Ron could feel his whole body shaking with adrenaline and knew that there may not be a way of this. How would the three of them even stand a chance?

A sinister voice called out to them mockingly. "Harry… You and your friends should come out to play. After all, there's no where left to hide!"

* * *

A/N: I know, you all hate me because of the cliffhanger, but this chapter was getting rather long. I had a lot of difficulty working this chapter out and it evolved and changed dramatically over the last couple of years. Action scenes are always really difficult and this one was tricky. I think I finally worked out the kinks. Now that this chapter is out of the way, the next few chapters came surprisingly easily. As soon as my beta finishes with them, I'll be posting again. You won't have to wait another two years.

**Shameless Plug**: My hesitance over writing for this fic has been largely due to the fact that another story took hold of me and my muse wouldn't let me rest until I had finished it. I think you will all like it since it follows the same abuse theme all my stories seem to have. It's called **"_What is Left Unsaid_." **Check it out this short chapter fic and tell me what you think. (I should be posting it shortly). In the mean time, I will attempt to finish this story completely before I allow a couple of other plot bunnies to take hold of me. As always, please leave me a review and let me know what you think.

Also, many thanks do my lovely beta, Drae! I can always count on you to pull through to me.


	22. His Worst Fear Come True

A/N: I was recently nominated for The Quibbler Awards for _Somewhere I Belong_ for best angst fic and best alternate universe fic. If you enjoyed reading the series please go to my bio page for a link to the website and vote! There are many other wonderful fics recommended there as well. Voting will begin August 23rd and will close September 6th. Thanks to whomever voted for me!

* * *

**Chapter 22- His Worst Fear Come True**

_"Harry… You and your friends should come out to play. After all, there's no where left to hide!" Voldemort called, laughing cruelly._

Harry squeezed himself tighter against Ron and Hermione where they lay behind the overturned cart. They knew that the cart wouldn't protect them, but they felt needed to hide just the same. It was only a matter of time before they were forced to confront their enemy. They were just delaying the inevitable. He prayed that by some miracle they would escape from this horrid nightmare, because they were certainly no match for all of these dark wizards. They were already tired and breathing heavily from their attempted escape, and there was no telling how long it would be until help arrived.

Ron was grasping his left shoulder with this right hand to stem the flow bleeding from where a spell had sliced open the skin. Hermione looked absolutely petrified, clutching both of them as though they would disappear at any moment. Harry was barely holding on at this point feeling the effects of not only the Dementors hovering only a few meters away, but also the searing pain he was feeling in his scar because of his proximity to Voldemort. He clutched his forehead willing the pain to go away.

"Not again, not again, not again…." Harry muttered under his breath. Ron and Hermione looked at him with wide, scared eyes knowing that there may be no way out of this situation.

Harry couldn't believe this was happening again so soon. After his experience in the graveyard a few short months ago, he had felt lulled into a false sense of security that this kind of thing wouldn't happen again so quickly. After all, he had already endured his horrible encounter with Voldemort for the year. Right? He wasn't due for another one for at least another year. That was how it was supposed to work, wasn't it? Or at least it had for the most part up until now. He knew with all the "twinging" in his scar recently that it was only a matter of time, but did it have to happen so soon?

From his vision this summer Harry knew that Voldemort would go great lengths to get what he wanted. _"Find the boy, and if you cannot, kill his relatives and his friends… and anyone else he cares about until he turns himself to me… I need him and I am not above destroying everything he loves in order to bend him to my will… Harry Potter will be mine!"_ the unearthly voice had hissed.

And he couldn't help but be reminded of what happened only months ago and was terrified that Ron or Hermione would be killed like Cedric Diggory. _"Kill the spare!" _Voldemort had said, as if Cedric had been nothing. He couldn't bear the same to happen to anyone else again. The prospect of losing Ron especially tore at Harry's soul. He just wouldn't survive it.

Harry frantically tried to think what they should to get out of this, but was quickly coming up with nothing. Where the hell was the Order? Or the Ministry's Aurors for that matter? Someone surely had to have escaped before the Disapparation net was put over the entire village. Wouldn't they have alerted the authorities by now?

"Harry Potter…" Voldemort called again. "We need to talk."

Through the cracks in the wood of the cart Harry could see him descending the marble stairs of Gringotts to approach where they lay hiding. Death Eaters who were not involved in the battle farther down the street began to circle around them. The Dark Mark hovered in the sky over Gringotts. Its immense glowing skull burned bright green and a coiled snake issued forth from the mouth dancing in the darkness surrounding the offensive warning. There was no denying it now. The Dark Lord had risen.

"What are we going to do?" whispered Hermione, unshed tears forming in her fearful brown eyes.

"I don't know," Harry admitted. He had had luck on his side before. What if that luck had finally run out? Before he could say anything else, a blasting spell was directed at them, shattering their overturned cart to smithereens and knocking them back several feet. Shards of wood skimmed their bodies, bruising them and cutting them sharply.

Still dazed from the blast Harry quickly stood up, pulling Ron and Hermione up beside him. He held his wand out in front of him defensively like he had been taught, wondering what he would have to do to get out of this. He eyed the Death Eaters closing in on them and the threesome silently began to move together and away from these dark witches and wizards as much as possible.

"Ah, Harry, there you are… so we meet again…" said Voldemort, his snakelike face looking quite smug and pleased with himself. _"Seize them!"_

Before they could react, Death Eaters cast disarming spells at them, relieving them of their wands. Harry felt his heart sink with disbelief. There was no way they would get away now. Before he could even begin to formulate any sort of plan, they were roughly grabbed to prevent an escape. Harry felt the hands of the Death Eater who had apprehended dig in his upper arms painfully. He knew from experience that there would be bruises tomorrow… if he survived to see tomorrow, that is.

"You didn't think I'd allow you to keep your wand like last time, did you?" Voldemort asked, seeing the surprised look on Harry's face. "I admit that the last time I underestimated the fact that our wands shared a core. I won't do it again."

"What do you want?" asked Harry irritably.

Voldemort ignored his question and strolled forward to greet them. "Would you like to introduce me to your friends?" he asked, reaching out to caress Hermione's cheek before taking a step back.

Hermione whimpered beside him in revulsion, but otherwise seemed almost frozen. Harry could practically feel the fear radiating off her and wished that he had never come here with his friends in the first place. Ron on the other side of him struggled against the Death Eater holding him, but was unable to get loose.

"What do you want?" Harry asked again, wincing at the pain mounting in his head.

"What do I want?" asked Voldemort. "That will be revealed shortly. But first, I want to thank you for being here for my coming out party. Isn't it spectacular?"

Harry quickly glanced about, staggered by how dire the situation was. Diagon Alley was almost recognizable. Most of it had already been destroyed or was on fire. Death Eaters were battling innocent civilians and screams of despair filled the air. Dementors scouted the perimeter searching for unsuspecting prey.

Voldemort continued, "I had planned to make a public attack to announce my rebirth fairly soon, but when I heard that the Boy-Who-Lived was purchasing his school things today in Diagon Alley….well, I couldn't resist moving up my plans."

Harry idly wondered if the man he had accidentally run into at the book store had been the one to reveal that he and his friends were here today. He had seemed normal enough. Why would he do such a thing?

"Imagine the headlines in the Daily Prophet tomorrow… _Lord_ _Voldemort Returns in all of his Powerful Glory… Diagon Alley Quakes in Fear at You-Know-Who's Homecoming…Hundreds are Slaughtered…" _Voldemort began, talking animatedly with is hands as he grew more excited. "Or better yet… _Harry Potter Lays Dead Outside Gringotts…"_

"No!" Hermione screamed, unable to contain herself anymore.

"Shut up foolish girl!" Voldemort yelled, throwing a stinging hex at her. "I'm not done yet!"

Hermione screamed in pain and tried to get away.

"Leave her out of this!" Harry yelled, as the Death Eater holding Hermione forced her to her knees.

Hermione struggled fearfully and managed to bite down on the hand holding her in an attempt to escape. Screaming in rage, the Death Eater threw her down to the ground and cast a petrifying spell on her. She stared up at them unblinkingly, looking pale as death in her frozen state. Both Harry and Ron struggled once more in protest, but the men holding them were just too strong.

"Payback is a bitch, isn't it you little _bitch_!" the Death Eater yelled as he spat on Hermione and then roughly kicked her so that she now lay on her side. Harry recognized from the tone of his voice that it was Lucius Malfoy. He had apparently escaped from the alley where they had left him. The Death Eaters who had pursued them had obviously released him from his bonds.

"Leave her alone!" Ron shouted now, when it looked as though Lucius was going to kick her again.

"Enough! I will need his friends!" Voldemort reprimanded him.

Lucius bowed obligingly and said, "Forgive me, my lord."

Voldemort began to pace in front of them, seeming to contemplate his next words. "I have recently learned the location of something that I need; something that is of great importance to me… but I need your help Harry Potter, for only you can retrieve it for me…"

"No! I won't do it!" Harry quickly replied before Voldemort could continue.

Voldemort looked ready to hex Harry for interrupting him as Hermione had done, but then thought better of it. He looked at Harry curiously as though sizing him up. "You should really reconsider. I have ways of making people do as I want," he began.

"I'll never help you!" Harry replied defiantly.

Voldemort gave him an icy glare. "Oh really? _Imperio__!"_

For a moment Harry felt a funny feeling slide over him and he knew that if he just followed the voice in his head telling him to obey that he would continue to feel this amazing numbness. But just as quickly, Harry fought the voice in his head knowing that he was able to shake off this unforgivable curse. He already done so this school year when the fake Professor Moody had demonstrated the unforgivable curses to their defense class. Slowly the effects of the curse wore off, and the fear he had been feeling just before set in once more.

"Nice try!" Harry mocked.

For his cheek, Voldemort slapped him cruelly across the face, not once but twice. Harry's face immediately began to throb and he felt the blood ooze from the split in his lip. He could feel Ron bristle angrily beside him in indignation.

Then the Dark Lord roughly grabbed Harry by his chin and forced him to look him in the eye. Harry felt nauseous from the pain searing in his head because of his scar, and he tried to twist away. When he discovered that he was powerless, he began to breathe deeply to prevent himself from hyperventilating from the nausea. His scar flared again painfully and he felt himself almost retch. He wished once again that he never had this stupid connection to this hateful man.

Voldemort gave him an amused expression and then playfully traced his scar with the tip of his finger. Harry screamed in pain and tried once again to twist away, but the man still held his face tightly by the chin preventing little movement.

"You're stronger than I would have given you credit for, but I doubt you are strong enough to prevent me from entering your mind," he began softly, but then his eyes turned red and he yelled, "_Legilimens_!"

Harry was powerless to stop the intrusion and he felt as though as brain might explode into a thousand tiny bits. He could feel Voldemort searching, searching, but for what he did not know.

Then memories from his past began to play before him… memories he would have liked to have forgotten and certainly never wanted anyone else to see. _Uncle Vernon throwing him into his cupboard… starving for days without food… Dudley and his gang 'Harry Hunting'… Aunt Petunia slapping him upside the head… Vernon beating him senseless… whipping him with a belt… the accident…being hugged by Ron…_

Not knowing what else to do Harry quickly attempted to think about other things, like Quidditch and Hogwarts. He couldn't allow Voldemort to know about his relationship with Ron, or it might be used against him. He could hear Voldemort tut with pity in his mind, and then began to play on his emotions.

_"Such a sad past… You were treated so cruelly by those who were supposed to love you. But why did no one else see it? Why did no one rescue you? Why were you left to suffer? It's because no one truly cares. No one really loves you. That's why you were left there with no one to check on you… you were so naïve to think that that your friends actually cared about you…They only care about themselves… You and I are so alike. I was once like you, alone and abandoned. But then I learned that power was the only way to truly learn respect… and now I'm the most powerful wizard alive. Respected and feared by all… Join me and you could be great too!" he whispered in his mind._

Mortified by what Voldemort was trying to do, Harry screamed, "_NEVER_!" and somehow finally forced him from his mind. Voldemort was shoved back a few feet from the blow, but seemed to recover quickly.

Harry knew everything that he was saying were lies. He knew his friends cared about him and would have stopped at nothing to help him had he ever told them about the Dursleys. Shaking uncontrollably from the sheer effort that it had taken to stop Voldemort's intrusion, Harry fell slack in the Death Eater's arms holding him and sank to the ground onto his knees.

"Harry, are you alright?" Ron asked, trying to reach him.

Harry nodded and looked up into the scared blue eyes of his boyfriend. "I'm okay," he said, using the strength he had left to stand up once more. The hands still holding him twisted his arms painfully behind his back.

"You dare refuse my generous offer?" Voldemort asked.

"You murdered my parents, Cedric Diggory, and probably countless others!" Harry yelled. "I will never join you! Ever!"

A mask of pure hate shadowed Voldemort's face. "If you will not join me, then you will feel my wrath! _Crucio_!"

The curse hit Harry hard and he fell to the cobblestone street unable to contain his scream as the Death Eater released him. It was just as bad as before, as though a thousand white hot knives were stabbing all over his body at once. He writhed on the ground wishing for death rather than feel this pain for any longer. The curse was lifted momentarily and Harry could hear Ron screaming somewhere near him.

"Leave him alone you bastard! Leave him alone!" Ron pleaded urgently.

Loving the reaction that he gotten from Ron, Voldemort smiled sadistically and cast the unforgivable once more, much to the enjoyment of his followers. "_Crucio_!"

Harry's body began to thrash yet again from the severity of the pain. Try as he might, he couldn't stop the screams that left him. His voice gave out from screaming so loudly until it was barely a squeak. Just when he thought he would die from how badly he hurt all over, the spell was lifted.

"Stop it!" Ron screamed, somehow freeing himself from the Death Eater and rushing to Harry's side. He desperately put his arms around him as if to shield him from any other attacks. But two Death Eaters grabbed him from behind and dragged him away. "Harry!"

Harry achingly rolled to his side and got sick all over the street, causing the Death Eaters to jeer at him. Embarrassed by his weakness, he stumbled to his knees while he wiped his mouth clean. Surprised by how fuzzy everything seemed, he wondered if the Cruciatus curse had already begun to scramble his brain. Then he suddenly realized his glasses were somehow missing. They must have fallen from his face when he was attacked. His hands searched the ground hopelessly, but they were no where to be found. Everything was a blur, but amazingly he was able to see Hermione's eyes watching him and saw the tears spilling out onto her damp cheeks. Lying on a few feet away, she had seen everything.

Voldemort suddenly towered over him and grabbed his neck with a large hand. He dragged him away from Hermione and forced Harry to look at him. "Have you reconsidered yet?" he asked, as he lifted Harry by his neck off the ground.

Harry could feel his airway becoming constricted as the claw like nails dug into his tender skin. Harry tugged at the hand holding him while his toes scraped the ground searching for purchase. "No," he finally muttered.

"If you will not join me, then I need your assurance that you will help me retrieve something at the Ministry Magic," Voldemort said, looking deadly serious.

"I won't do it!" Harry whispered defiantly, gasping for air. He knew that whatever Voldemort wanted, it could only bring death and destruction. "No matter what you do to me."

Voldemort growled in frustration and threw him to the ground once more. Harry gulped in mouthfuls of air and noticed with trepidation that the Dark Lord was now stalking toward Ron.

"Then maybe you need persuasion of a different kind," he began, smiling cruelly. Realizing that he wasn't going to get anywhere with Harry, he began to torture Ron. "_Crucio_!"

"No, don't!" Harry yelled hoarsely.

He stumbled over to where Ron laid convulsing and screaming from the pain and threw his body over him to protect him from the curse. It didn't work however, and all Harry could do was hold onto his boyfriend until the curse was lifted. Tears finally spilled out of his eyes as he realized the gravity of the situation. Some of the Death Eaters nearby began to laugh at them.

A witch with a high squeaky voice began to taunt him. _"Poor itty bitty Potter… his friend is in so much pain…"_

After several agonizing minutes, Voldemort lifted the curse. "Are you ready to help me now, or are you going to allow your friend to suffer needlessly?" he asked, as the pair clung to each other as they kneeled on the street.

Harry felt so conflicted. He knew that whatever Voldemort wanted him to retrieve that it couldn't be good, but he wasn't willing to allow Ron to get hurt again. How was he supposed to make this choice?

Ron spoke up for him. "You can hurt me all you want, but Harry will never do what you ask."

"Really?" Voldemort said, a smirk crossing his face. "I beg differ. Grab the Weasley boy!" he ordered.

The two Death Eaters that had restrained Ron before stepped forward and grabbed him once more, dragging him way from Harry. He reached out and grasped Ron's hand momentarily, before it slipped through his fingers. Ron struggled weakly against those holding him as he was brought to where Voldemort was now waiting on the steps in front of Gringotts. It appeared that whatever he was about to do, he wanted to make sure that he had an audience.

Harry feebly began to run to his boyfriend, to do what he didn't know, but he knew he couldn't just leave Ron to Voldemort's clutches. Before he could get very far, three Death Eaters restrained him and forced him back down onto his now bruised knees. Without his glasses he could barely see what was happening, being as nearsighted as he was. His heart was pounding in his chest, fearing the worst.

"Severus!" Voldemort called. "Do have the potion I asked for?"

"Yes, my lord…" said one of the Death Eaters, stepping forward to join his master. He kneeled before him and held up what appeared to be a vial filled with a purple glowing liquid. Wasn't he supposed to be a spy? What was he doing?

"No!" Harry screamed, as he struggled uselessly. They were going to kill Ron. His worst fear was coming true. "Don't!"

* * *

From her petrified position, Hermione could do nothing to help Ron and Harry, only watch in horror as her friends were unbearably tortured. Just when she thought it couldn't possibly get any worse, she saw Ron cruelly torn away from Harry and dragged towards Voldemort.

Hermione almost didn't want believe what she was seeing when Professor Snape bowed before the Dark Lord and held out a vial of potion. She had always given him the benefit of the doubt and stood up for him when others would speak badly of Snape. He was their teacher and he was supposed to be a spy for the Order. So why was he helping the enemy? How could he betray them like this?

She watched as Snape handed the vial to Voldemort and then backed away to join the ranks of his fellow Death Eaters. Hermione could see that Ron's head was being strained backwards and his mouth forcibly opened by a pair of rough hands despite his attempts to protest. The glowing purple liquid was horribly forced down his throat.

"Stop! What are you doing to him?" Harry pleaded.

The Death Eaters then released him and stepped way as Ron began to sway dizzily from whatever effects the potion seemed to have on him. He looked deathly pale as he struggled to hold onto consciousness. A soft white glow seemed to radiate from him making him appear ethereal, and a look of surprise crossed Ron's face.

Voldemort smiled viciously, and looked to where Harry was being restrained. "Perhaps, Harry Potter, you just need a little more persuasion…"

"Leave him alone!" Harry yelled gruffly, tears forming in his eyes once more.

"Wormtail, do you have the amulet?" he questioned.

"Y-yes, master," said a man that Hermione assumed to be Pettigrew suddenly stepped forward from the shadows. His face was masked like the rest of the Death Eaters, but his gleaming silver hand gave him away instantly. He held up a large amethyst colored amulet hanging from a heavy gold chain. "I have it here."

"Give it to me," Voldemort says impatiently, yanking the necklace from his servant. Turning on Ron once more, Voldemort raised his wand with a flourish and yelled, **"****_Liberatio_****_ Solaris!"_**

A purple beam of light shot out of his wand and hit Ron directly in the chest. He stared down at himself for a moment as a white light that seemed to emanate from him before suddenly left his body and began floating upwards. Ron's eyes rolled back in his head and his body instantly collapsed forward landing heavily on the stone stairway. He was sprawled awkwardly so that he was lying on his stomach with his legs above him. His face was pressed sideways, his eyes wide and lifeless, apparently dead.

"NO!" Harry yelled frantically, struggling once more.

Hermione silently screamed in protest assuming the worst and her vision was blurred by her unending tears. She furiously blinked them away, her eyes now being the only things she had control over. She hoped the spell she was under would wear off soon, hating that she was powerless to stop all of this. She then saw Voldemort direct the bright white light with his wand into the amulet he was holding. Grinning confidently, he quickly handed the amulet back to Pettigrew and turned back to Harry. His vision was so poor without his glasses that Hermione was sure he was probably unable to see everything clearly.

"NO! How could you! Let me go!" he screamed, obviously freaking out over the loss of his friend. "NO! No, no, no…"

Hermione's chest constricted painfully wishing she could scream her indignation along with Harry. _Ron! They had lost Ron!_

"I'm going to kill you! You sick son of a bitch!" Harry tried to yell, his voice barely above a whisper it was so hoarse. "I'll kill you!"

"Now Harry," said the Dark Lord. "Like you could ever do that. I'm the most powerful wizard who ever lived. And you… you are just a pathetic, weak little boy!"

"I will, you bastard. I'm going to kill you!"

Voldemort smiled spitefully and in mock sympathy said, "Poor Harry, missing his boyfriend already."

Hermione was shocked by this statement. She had suspected something similar earlier today, but hearing this revelation made by Voldemort was unsettling. He must have seen something when he was probing Harry's mind.

"Shut up!" Harry yelled, struggling once more.

"I know you're sad… But what if I could bring him back? I have immense power over the dark arts… I've even prevented myself from dying…" Voldemort said, talking animatedly with is hands once more. "I have the power to bring him back… Would you turn against the light and join me by my side if meant it could save your friend? Your love?"

"That's not possible…" Harry said miserably, looking thoroughly defeated. "You can't bring back the d-dead."

Hermione wracked her brain and tried to think methodically about everything that had happened. What if Ron really wasn't dead? What if that bright light was Ron's life force and it's now captured in that amulet? Maybe that was how Voldemort planned to "resurrect" their friend. Perhaps Ron wasn't lost after all.

"What do you say Harry? Your friend's life in exchange for your service?" asked Voldemort bending down to look Harry keenly in the eye.

Harry seemed to contemplate his offer, but before he could respond their environment suddenly changed. The darkness that had hovered all around them since the attack had began suddenly lifted, and there was a great boom as the air around them began to ripple from the effects of a powerful spell.

Hermione smiled inwardly hoping that help had finally arrived. And she didn't have to wait long to find out. Aurors and Order members quickly Apparated in with resounding cracks from all directions and began to attack the Death Eaters. Dumbledore himself appeared on the marble steps of Gringotts in front of them. Seeing his adversary, Voldemort hastily lunged towards Harry, but Dumbledore shot a blocking charm at the teen preventing the Dark Lord from reaching him. Seeing that he was outnumbered, Voldemort growled in frustration and eventually Disapparated. The Death Eaters who had not been captured already begun to do the same. The magical net had apparently been destroyed.

"_NO_!" Harry screamed in despair, obviously fearing that his chance to save Ron had slipped through his fingers.

But all might not have been lost. In the background Hermione saw Wormtail gently lay the amulet that Voldemort had used down on the steps, before nodding at her and Disapparating away. She couldn't begin to understand why he would have done something like this, but she knew that once she was free that she would have to retrieve it as quickly as possible. Maybe it could save Ron. But for now she was confined to her petrified state until someone released the spell.

Suddenly Hermione could move, and she turned to stare up at Professor Lupin's worried eyes. Sirius was trying to comfort Harry but he had shrugged him away dejectedly. Hermione stared at the tragic scene before her as Harry ran to Ron's body and carefully turned him over.

She wanted to go comfort Harry and explain to him that everything was going to be okay, but she knew that time was of the essence. She had to get that amulet and tell Dumbledore what she had seen before it was too late.

* * *

Earlier that afternoon Sirius had looked around at his fellow Order members seated at the kitchen table in the basement of his mother's house. Snape had only left moments earlier; alerting them that Voldemort had summoned him but not knowing the reason why. They were worried the implications of the summons, hoping that the very thing they were all trying to protect wouldn't be discovered. Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Shacklebolt were discussing what was hidden in the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic, while Sirius quietly listened.

"Who's guarding it now?" McGonagall asked.

"Sturgis," replied Shacklebolt. "Though I suspect that curiosity may get the best of him before long."

"You don't think he would try anything stupid do you," she asked.

Shacklebolt shrugged. "I can't say for certain. He had talked about breaking through the security door."

"But he can't retrieve it anyway-"

"I explained that to him," he replied in his deep matter-of-fact voice.

"We'll need to change guards frequently," said Dumbledore. "Who do we have?"

Shacklebolt began to recount who could assist them in their endeavor. The Order of the Phoenix had been able to reunite the "old crowd," but hadn't yet been able to do much recruiting locally other than a few Aurors. And Remus and Sirius's short trip to Bulgaria to hadn't exactly been fruitful.

"Harry should be told what it is we're guarding," Sirius said firmly, finally speaking up. "He has the right."

"Albus, I disagree," McGonagall argued. "The boy has enough on his shoulders without bearing this too."

Dumbledore sighed, and stared into his tea cup seeming to contemplate the notion. After coming to some conclusion, he said, "I'm afraid that I agree with Minerva, Sirius. The information in the wrong hands could be deadly. I feel that it is better if Harry is not told at this time."

"But Albus-" Sirius began to argue, only to be interrupted by a loud crack of someone Apparating into the kitchen.

Bill suddenly stood before them shaking and out of breath. "Diagon Alley is being attacked," he said breathlessly.

"What!?" they all asked, standing up at once. Snape had yet to report back to them, so they had had no warning that an attack was about to take place. He must be still with the Death Eaters.

Bill tried to steady himself, looking clearly panicked and said, "I got Ginny, Fred, and George safely to Hogwarts…"

"What about Harry?" asked Sirius.

"I don't know about the others. I tried to portkey back but it wouldn't work," he quickly explained. Bill had been able to activate his emergency portkey and get his brothers and sister to safety, but apparently the others had not. "I had to run to the edge of Hogwart's grounds, but I couldn't Apparate back either. I kept rebounding back somehow. So I came here…"

"They must have cast some type of net over the village to prevent magical transportation," Dumbledore theorized.

"Is that even possible?" asked Sirius, having never heard of such a thing.

Dumbledore nodded. "I'm afraid so, though it hasn't been used since ancient times as far as I know."

Looking quite perplexed, McGonagall asked Bill, "Wait a minute? Why didn't you Floo?"

The Weasley shook his head and said, "Tried that. Couldn't. The network is down too!"

"Albus, what are we going to do?" she asked worriedly.

Reacting quickly, Dumbledore turned to Shacklebolt. "Please alert the Ministry and find our fellow Order members. We are going to need all the help we can get. Tell them to meet us on Charing Cross road, undercover mind you."

"Tonks already went to alert the Minsitry," Bill added.

Dumbledore looked pleased with the information. "Good, but I still want you to go and help her and Kingsley. The Ministry may not believe the allegations at first."

Shacklebolt nodded and quickly Disapparated away. Turning to back to the rest of them Dumbledore explained what they were going to. As they began to realize the gravity of the situation, Sirius became more and more anxious. At this point it wasn't certain that they'd even be able to penetrate Diagon Alley. It appeared as though Voldemort had thoroughly prepared for this attack.

A short while later Sirius found himself under a disillusionment charm, standing with several others in the middle of London just outside the Leaky Cauldron. Even entering the wizard village by the means of the back wall of the pub had proved to be impossible. They were left with only one choice, bring down the wards. They stood together as an invisible force, Aurors and Order members united, chanting loudly as they pointed their wands at the invisible barrier over where Diagon Alley lay hidden from the Muggle world. Sirius didn't care that he wasn't still a wanted fugitive and that he may be accidentally apprehended by an unknowing Auror; all that mattered now was saving Harry.

Thankfully, none of the Muggles had entered the desolate looking London street or they might have heard voices seemingly coming from nowhere. It took a long while, but finally their group magic broke through the wards as a large boom echoed through the air. They decided to Apparate in as pairs, knowing there was safety in numbers but also realizing that they had a large area to cover.

Releasing the charm disguising him as he Apparated into Diagon Alley, knowing it would be suspicious if he didn't and had to cast spells, Sirius felt adrenaline surge through him. He had honestly never been more afraid in his life. All those awful years in Azkaban paled in comparison to how he was feeling right now. Diagon Alley was under attack and Harry was in trouble. If anything were to happen to him, Sirius didn't think he would be able to live with himself.

After engaging in a short battle with a few Death Eaters and leaving them in the care of the Aurors, Sirius began a search and rescue, methodically checking every building for signs of Harry or the others.

Thankfully with everything happening he hadn't been recognized. It probably helped that he was clean shaven now, and looked almost nothing like he did during his time in imprisonment. He was fairly certain the only photograph that the Ministry had of him was a mug shot from prison. But he still had to be careful, knowing that he might have to Apparate away in order to elude capture.

Bill was with him now, searching for the rest of this family. Sirius eyed the carnage as they stalked down the main street carefully looking for any sign of Harry or the others. Buildings had been destroyed, others were set on fire, and there were dead bodies lying between all the debris. Voldemort sure knew how to make an entrance. The Ministry would never be able to deny that he was back now.

The flames of the numerous fires licked the sky, sending black smoke high into the air. The scene was horrific to say the least, but at least was camouflaged by ancient charms that hid the village so that it was unseen by the Muggle world. The heat was almost unbearable, and several of the Aurors were trying to fight the fire with water charms, hoping to help anyone still trapped inside.

Bill had paused for a moment to assess the situation in front of Florean Fortescues, or what was left of it. Several bodies were lain strewn about, and he wanted to make sure there weren't any survivors.

Sirius began to move ahead. Every fiber of his being was taut with anticipation, ready in case of an attack. It appeared as though most of the Death Eaters had already been detained or had Disapparated away, but one never could be sure. Sirius just prayed that Harry, Remus, and the others had made it to safety. But then Sirius saw something that terrified him… Remus's unmoving body.

"Remus! REMUS!" Sirius yelled, running to his friend's body. Seeing that his friend did not appear to grievously injured, he tried a simple awakening spell. "_Enervate_!"

Remus quickly shot up into a seated position. "Sirius!" Remus shouted, looking all around them. "There was an attack!"

"I know old friend," said Sirius, clapping him on the shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Where are the others?" he asked.

"Bill made it back with Ginny and the twins safely," Sirius began. "We don't know about anyone else."

"Harry?" asked Remus.

Sirius shook his head sadly, feeling quite distraught. He feared the worst and the thought that he might find Harry lying partially hidden in all of this rubble terrified him.

"We'll find him," Remus tried to reassure Sirius.

"I hope so… Arthur!" he called, suddenly seeing his fellow Order member lying not too far away. Sirius and Remus quickly ran to his side. "Bill, over here!" Sirius shouted over his shoulder.

The red haired man had already begun to rouse as they drew near. He looked as though he were in bad shape, having taken several direct spell fires. He was bruised and bleeding heavily.

"Arthur? Are you okay?" Remus asked, as they kneeled by his side.

"I think so…" he said, trying to get up.

"What happened? Where are the others?" asked Sirius quickly. "Where's Harry?"

"I don't know. Everything happened so quickly. We were attacked, and I stayed behind to draw their attention while Molly escaped with the children," Arthur explained, wincing from his numerous injuries.

"We should get you to Hogwarts," Sirius tried, helping Arthur to his feet. "You're hurt badly."

"Dad?" Bill called, finally arriving at his father's side. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" he insisted, looking about for his family. "Where's-"

"Fred, George, and Ginny are waiting for us at Hogwarts," Bill calmly explained.

The alarm on Arthurs face when he realized that Ron and his wife were not with them spoke volumes about how scared he was about the situation. "We need to find the others," he said desperately.

Remus shook his head. "You're in no shape to do anything."

Arthur looked as though he was going to protest, but finally relented. "Please… you need to find the Molly and the children," he begged.

"But we should get you-" Remus tried again.

Bill held up his hand and said, "I'll stay with my Dad. You go on ahead…"

"Are you sure?" asked Sirius.

Bill nodded. "Please find my brother and mother…"

Sirius and Remus nodded and quickly moved on. They walked down Diagon Alley searching for any sign of Molly, Ron, Hermione, or Harry. Spying a gathering of Death Eaters in front of Gringotts, Sirius ran through the wreckage knowing instinctively that Harry would be at the center of it all. Remus followed closely behind him. Before they were near enough to begin casting spell fire at them, they began Disapparating away.

Then they saw Lord Voldemort himself. He made a move towards Harry, only to be blocked by Dumbledore who had Apparated in above them. Growling in frustration, the Dark Wizard quickly Disapparated away. Sirius could see now that Hermione was lying on her side only a few feet from where Harry was kneeling. And Ron's body was laying in what had to be an uncomfortable position, splayed across the marble steps in front of Gringotts. His red hair was hiding his face from view. He looked as good as dead, and Sirius was almost sure that he had already passed on.

"Harry, are you alright?" Sirius asked quickly as soon as he reached his godson. He ignored all the chaos surrounding them and simply focus on Harry.

He tried to wrap his arms around him, but Harry numbly shrugged out of his grasp. Sirius watched sadly as Harry ran over to where Ron's body lay prone against the stone steps. He turned his friend's body over and desperately tried to wake him.

"Ron, Ron!" he shouted hoarsely. "Somebody help!"

Remus went to Hermione and released her from a petrifying spell. She sat up weakly, looking quite exhausted from the ordeal. She then got to her feet and move to where Dumbledore was standing and holding what appeared to be an ancient gold necklace in his hands.

Meanwhile, Sirius moved towards his godson, seeing that he was growing more and more hysterical when he could not revive his friend. Ron's shirt was covered in blood from a wound on his left shoulder and he was deathly pale. Sirius couldn't be sure, but didn't seem as though the injury was grievous enough to put Ron in such a state. Something else must have happened, and Sirius could only imagine the horrors these three teenagers had seen today.

"Someone help me!" Harry shouted, desperately clinging to Ron's body. "Ron, no…he can't be… he can't be…"

"Harry, it's okay. I'm here," Sirius explained. He then knelt down beside Harry, and reached out to check for Ron's pulse, already intuitively knowing what he would find. There was no heartbeat to be found. "Damn it," he swore under his breath when here realized what had happened.

Harry's tear filled green eyes sought his out… searching… hoping… that his friend would be okay. Sirius took in the bruising on his face and neck, the split lip, the missing glasses, and the way Harry was shaking and felt his heart constrict. Harry had obviously been through a lot today and it pained him to have to tell his godson that his best friend was gone. Sirius sadly shook his head, unable to voice the words aloud, and Harry's face crumpled in despair.

"No!" he screamed, shrugging him off as Sirius attempted to comfort him once more. He grabbed the front of Ron's shirt and buried his face into his friend's neck. "No, no, no…"

"I'm sorry, Harry," Sirius tried, rubbing circles onto Harry's back.

"You don't understand… you can't leave me Ron, you are my best friend, more than that…this can't be happening… not Ron too… not Ron too…" he sobbed.

Sirius felt tears welling up in his own eyes, caught up in his godson's anguish. He didn't know what to do, so he just sat down beside them, rubbing Harry's back.

"Sirius!" Remus called to him.

Sirius looked up at his friend, refusing to leave Harry's side. "What is it?" he asked in an annoyed tone. Couldn't Remus see how upset Harry was?

"Hermione saw what happened. Dumbledore thinks there is a way to revive Ron if we can get him back to Hogwarts," Remus quickly explained as he crouched down next to them.

Sirius looked past his friend and saw Hermione talking to Dumbledore, looking quite upset. She was pointing to the amulet on the necklace he was holding and seemed to be explaining something. Her face was dirty and tear streaked, but there was hope in her shining eyes.

"Are you sure?" Sirius asked, his own heart filling with hope as well.

Remus nodded, looking to where Harry lay over his friend crying hysterically. "We need to move him now," he said gently.

Trusting his friend, he needed no other explanation. Sirius knew that Remus was asking him to take care of Harry so that they could get Ron back to Hogwarts. This would be difficult, but he had to make Harry understand. He nodded, and Remus moved away to give them a bit of privacy.

"Harry?" Sirius began gently, shaking his shoulder.

"Leave me alone!" he sobbed brokenheartedly. "He's gone. Oh god, he's gone. I never got to tell him…"

"Harry, listen to me…" Sirius said, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder to calm him.

"NO!" he said, shrugging him off, clearly grief stricken.

Sirius grabbed him by the shoulders to make him listen. "Ron isn't gone. He can be saved still."

"NO! He's dead. I saw Voldemort murder him. I could have saved him, but I didn't react fast enough. Now he's gone!" Harry moaned miserably, failing to listen to reason.

Sirius sighed, knowing that he wasn't getting through to his godson. "He's not gone, listen to me…"

"No! You don't know! You weren't there!" he screamed. "I saw!"

"Harry, I don't think you saw everything. Your glasses are missing. Hermione said that-" Sirius tried again.

"He's gone! You said so yourself!" Harry shouted.

Sirius was about to apologize for his terrible error, when Snape suddenly Apparated in with a loud crack looking quite distressed. He still donned his Death Eater robes, but the mask at least was now missing.

Steeling himself, Snape's face became stony once more as he began to speak, "Headmaster, the Weasley boy…I'm sorry, I was forced to comply or he would have suspected…"

"Yes, Severus, I know," Dumbledore replied quietly.

Sirius watched his fellow Order member quizzically, wondering what he had done. What had he been forced to do? Was he responsible for Ron's current condition? He contemplated this as he continued to rub Harry's back, still at a loss as to how to make his godson understand what had happened.

"But the Dark Lord used some sort of talisman… an amulet," Snape tried to explain, looking almost worried as he eyed Harry sobbing over his friend. "I didn't realize when he asked me to prepare the stasis potion what his intentions were. I returned as soon as I could to tell you. We have to get the amulet back as soon as-"

"Calm yourself, Severus. We have the amulet. It was left behind," he explained, showing his colleague the necklace he held. "Do you know how to counteract its affects?"

Snape nodded curtly, looking relieved. "I will begin working on the counter potion straight away."

"Thank you," Dumbledore replied, and they watch as Snape quickly Disapparated.

Seeing as Sirius wasn't having any luck, Remus, Dumbledore, and Hermione moved towards them now. Sirius knew they were hoping to move Ron as quickly as possible, but they first needed Harry to relinquish his fierce hold.

Hermione tried to put her arms around her friend to calm him. "Harry, it's going to be okay," she tried.

"No, it won't. He's gone, Hermione, and it's my fault," he protested, tears streaming down his reddened face.

"Harry, I need you to let go of Ron now," Dumbledore pleaded, attempting to pry Harry's fingers from Ron's body.

"NO! Leave him alone!"

"Harry…" he tried calmly, but when he got no response he looked to Sirius to handle this situation.

"You can't take him from me!"

Sirius could see that Harry was beyond understanding now so strong was his grief. Knowing that time probably wasn't on their side, he decided to do the only thing that he could. He wrapped his arm around Harry's torso and roughly pulled him away from Ron. He had to get them out of here and back to Hogwarts so that they could save the redhead, but they couldn't do it while Harry was hanging onto him manically.

"No!" Harry screamed, struggling to get away from him. "Stop! I don't want to leave him!"

"Harry, settle down now," Sirius said loudly in his ear, hugging him more tightly.

"NO! STOP! Let me go! I didn't get to tell him!" Harry shouted, kicking his legs fiercely into the air trying to release Sirius's hold and get back to Ron. Sirius didn't understand what Harry had wanted so badly to tell his friend, but it was obviously tearing him apart. "Let me go!"

"Harry, calm down," Hermione pleaded with him, crying tearfully now. "It'll be okay."

Harry thrashed about as hard as he could and almost was able to free himself. "NO!"

"Harry! Stop this!" Sirius yelled now, struggling to get a hold of the teen writhing in his arms. He was amazed by the strength he still had after all that he had been through. It was clear the boy was running on pure adrenaline.

"Let me go!"

"I'm sorry, but you left me no choice! _Stupefy_!" Sirius shouted, awkwardly pointing his wand at his godson.

Harry instantly went slack in his arms, and Sirius caught him before he fell to the ground. Gently he put his arms under his legs and lifted him, surprised by how light he seemed. He was again reminded of the cruelty Harry suffered at the hands of the Dursleys. They were about to portkey back to Hogwarts, when Arthur and Bill appeared on the street below them.

"He wouldn't let me take him to Hogwarts until he knew what happened," Bill explained, as he helped his father limp towards them. He then spotted his little brother lying before them. "Oh no…"

"Ron!" Arthur yelled, as he agonizingly climbed the stairs, supported by his oldest son. He collapsed by his youngest son's side trying to assess the situation. "What's happened? Is he-"

"He's suffered a horrible curse, Arthur, but if we act quickly he can be saved. We must leave now," the Headmaster explained.

"But what's happened to him?" Arthur asked, stroking his boy's red hair sadly.

"Arthur, there isn't time now, we'll explain later," urged Remus, gently pulling him from his son's side. "We need to save him."

"But Molly, where is she?" he asked, his features shadowed by his misery as he looked around for his beloved wife.

"I'm so sorry. I almost forgot," said Hermione as she stepped forward, looking quite upset. Her hair was a complete mess and her white shirt was filthy and torn at the bottom. Like the boys, she also had random cuts and bruises covering her body.

"I know where she is, Mr. Weasley. She's safe, I think… She tried to help us escape, but we were attacked. We had to leave her behind with the man who runs the music shop…" she explained, obviously hating the way it sounded. When Arthur gave her questioning look, Hermione tearfully continued. "We didn't know what to do. She was unconscious from a spell and it wasn't safe to travel with her. They were looking for Harry. I'm sorry…"

"It's okay, Hermione," said Arthur, wrapping her in a hug as she began to sob. "I understand."

"Arthur, why don't you go to Hogwarts with Ron? I'm sure that Bill and Hermione will bring her to us shortly," said Dumbledore.

He looked conflicted as to what to do, but his oldest put a hand on his shoulder and said, "I'll take care of her dad. You go with Ronnie."

Arthur nodded and then gently guided a shaking Hermione to Bill's waiting arms. She leaned into his brotherly embrace as they descended the stairway and they went in search of his mother.

Then Arthur stooped to pick up his son, but Remus stepped in front of him. "Allow me."

When he looked at Remus questioningly, Remus quickly answered, "You're in no shape to do anything right now."

Sirius shifted Harry's weight in his arms and watched as Remus lifted Ron into his own. Dumbledore and Arthur approached them and they stood quietly together, knowing there was nothing else they could say at this point. Ron's fate was still unknown.

Unable to Apparate directly to Hogwarts, they reached out and touched the portkey, a silver spoon, in Dumbledore's hand. Within seconds they had finally arrived to safety. They could only pray that they had arrived in time to save Ron's life.

* * *

A/N: Well what did you all think? Although I really liked how this chapter turned out, I feel as though it may be a lot different than what you all expected. From the reviews I received, it seemed that many were anticipating Ron or Harry to save the day, or that this was some kind of Superpower!Harry story. As you all can see neither of these happened in the story. I said all along that I wanted this story to have some sense of realism, and with the scenario I created I simply couldn't see how the Trio would get out of it by themselves. So instead I played on all of their emotions- feelings of being powerless and scared. Overall, I was pleased with the chapter and the scene where Sirius has to tear Harry away from Ron was the reason why I wrote the story in the first place. You all know how much I love angst!

If you are wondering, the spell "_Liberato__ Solaris_" is very loosely (and I mean loosely) translated in Latin to mean "release the soul". And yes, I was alluding to the Prophecy from OoTP that Voldemort wanted Harry to retrieve. I am really not going to dwell on it in this story, but I thought it might be plausible that he might try to coerce Harry this way. In case you're wondering, no Harry doesn't know Occlumency (since he hasn't yet entered his 5th year). It was only by sheer will that he was able to force Voldemort from his mind.

Well, there are only 2 or 3 chapters left in this story. Hopefully, if all goes well, I will finish it this summer. Don't forget to leave a review! And don't forget to vote for _Somewhere I Belong_ at the Quibbler Awards.


	23. Recovering

A/N: This was a very difficult chapter to write, even more so than the last one for some reason. I really struggled with narrowing down the points of view and I ended up using four POVs (instead of the normal 2 or 3). So much happened in the last chapter that needed to be explained to the other the characters so this was the only way I felt I could handle it. And there are _a lot_ of characters I had to deal with all at once, which is always difficult. I didn't want to gloss over the aftermath of the battle like I did in _Somewhere I Belong_, my H/D fic, so I ended up focusing a lot more on this chapter than I originally anticipated. It literally changed forms several times before this chapter finally came to a very _lengthy_ conclusion. (Nearly 15 pages longer than the last chapter!) It feels a bit "cluttered," but I think it turned out alright. I hope you like it. Enjoy!

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Chapter 23- Recovering

Holding desperately onto the portkey, Arthur and the others were transported directly to the Hogwarts infirmary. The world seemed to swim around him and Arthur felt himself go weak in the knees. Willing the dizziness to go away, he scrunched his eyes tightly, wincing at the pain he felt from his numerous wounds.

"Here, Arthur," he heard Albus Dumbledore say. "Let's sit you down."

Although he knew the headmaster was supporting him, he sounded as though he was on the other side of the room. Arthur felt as though he was moving through water, and his legs felt like dead weights as they moved toward wherever Albus was leading him. He finally felt himself set down upon one of the hospital beds and thankfully the vertigo he was feeling began to dissipate.

Shaking his head to clear it a bit, Arthur blearily opened his eyes to take in the scene around him. Sirius was lying an unconscious Harry down onto one of the other hospital beds, and Remus was looking as though he was going to follow suit with his son Ron. In his confusion, Arthur had nearly forgotten Ron's condition, and felt the worry he had experienced earlier begin to claw its way into his heart once more.

"Remus, put him in there," Albus directed instead, pointing to one of the few doors in the hospital wing.

Remus nodded and carried Ron's unconscious form into the room, away from his father. Leaving Harry behind momentarily, Sirius followed his friend.

"What's going on? Where are you taking him?" Arthur called to them in confusion, ignoring the fact that Albus was currently trying to assess his medical condition.

He knew something was wrong with Ron, but he didn't know exactly what had happened. His poor boy looked pale as death and Arthur feared the worst. And now they were trying to take his son away from him. Filled with worry Arthur tried to rise from his position on the bed only be pushed back down by Albus.

"Stay still until we can get a hold of Madam Pomfrey. I've stopped the bleeding, but we don't know how badly you're hurt," he said firmly.

Remus suddenly reappeared from hospital room. "Professor, the Floo Network is still down. Do you think Pomfrey is in her rooms?"

Albus nodded. "Could you possibly run down and get her for us? We are going to need her."

"Of course. I'll get her now," Remus quickly replied as he jogged out of the infirmary.

Arthur glanced down at his own body, suddenly registering that he was pain but forgetting the reason why. He could see that he indeed had multiple wounds and that his robes were torn and stained with blood. He then looked up into the older wizard's clear blue eyes and saw concern there. He knew Albus was worried for him, but there was no way he was going to rest until he knew Ron was okay.

"Please… I need to see him…" Arthur pleaded.

Albus looked as though he were going to protest so Arthur begged once more. "Please…"

Albus nodded solemnly and helped Arthur to his feet. In any other circumstance it might have seemed funny to see a rather elderly man supporting a much younger one, but this was no laughing matter. He was a desperate father and he was determined to see that his youngest son was alright.

Sirius didn't seem surprised when the pair entered what Arthur soon understood to be a private hospital room. He quietly gave Arthur his seat beside Ron, and somberly left the room leaving them alone. Albus sat down beside him looking thoughtful about this grave situation.

"Tell me what happened to Ron," he pleaded with the headmaster, as he reached for his son's hand.

He couldn't bring himself to actually check for a pulse, wanting to trust that if his son were actually dead that someone would have told him by now. He could see that Ron's shoulder was injured and that he had a few cuts and bruises, but nothing else that would explain his strange deathlike condition. _Why was he so still? So cold?_

Albus sighed deeply before sharing what he knew from Hermione. He explained that there was a chance that they could restore Ron's soul to his body, but that he needed a potion to counteract the effects of the stasis his body was forced into. Snape was making said potion now, and they wouldn't be able to begin the process until he arrived. They were also bringing in the seasoned Auror, Alastor Moody, who was quite astute at counteracting the Dark Arts. Arthur felt himself go numb inside, trying to wrap his mind around what had happened to his son. He didn't want to believe this was actually happening.

Noticing the way Albus was fingering an unusual looking amulet hanging around his neck he whispered, "That's it, isn't it? That's the amulet You-Know-Who used."

Albus nodded sadly and said, "Yes, it is. Your son's soul resides in here for now."

"May I?" asked Arthur, reaching for the pendant, as he let go of his son's hand.

"Of course," he said, gently lifting it from his own neck to place it around Arthur's.

With the heaviness of the amulet on his shoulders now, the weight of just what had happened today seemed to catch up to him. He felt himself choke up and was grateful when Albus walked away to give him some privacy.

As the tears rolled down his face, he clutched the amulet to his heart vowing to never forgive himself if Ron didn't pull through this. He would never admit it to anyone else, but he swore he felt Ron's presence with him in that moment and he glanced down to see a soft white glow emanate from the amethyst gemstone. It had appeared for less than a second, but it was enough to give him hope that everything was going to be alright.

Through his grief induced fog, Arthur realized that Remus had returned with the school nurse and that she was currently doing various diagnostic spells on his son. Arthur vaguely heard that his son currently had no vital signs and he knew then that he had to walk out right away or he might begin to lose it completely.

Though he was still a bit shaky, he soon found himself in the main part of the infirmary and saw Albus and Sirius looking after Harry. He knew that Ron not having any vital signs was a side effect of the potion, but it was still just too terrifying to think about. He had to remain positive for the family. _What was he going to tell them?_

As he thought about his family, he realized that Molly had not shown up yet and wondered if Hermione and Bill were unable to locate her. What if something had happened to her? As if on cue, his beautiful wife of twenty-five years suddenly appeared on the other side of the hospital ward by portkey looking quite battered. On either side of her was their son Bill and Hermione Granger, supporting her.

"Molly!" he shouted. Arthur limped as quickly as he could to cross the distance to her and enveloped her in a hug. He could easily see that she had been injured as well.

"Oh Arthur," she began, returning the embrace with a fierceness that surprised him considering her current condition.

When Molly began to sob into his shoulder, he knew instinctively that she already had been told what had happened to Ron. She was just as unsteady on her feet as he was, and he quickly moved them onto one of the nearby beds. He kissed her forehead over and over and ran his hand through her hair the way she liked, trying his best to comfort his distraught wife. She quieted after a short while and her sobs turned to the occasional sniffles. He knew that his Molly had allowed herself this one moment of weakness, but that she would try to remain strong for the family from this point forward.

Looking over to where Hermione was standing with Bill, Arthur could see the sadness in the young girl's tear filled eyes after such a horrific day.

"Thank you for taking care of my wife," he whispered to Hermione, hoping to put her fears to ease. "And for letting us know what happened to Ron…"

Unfortunately, he only ended up making the poor thing cry even more than she had been before. Thankfully, Bill steered her away and sat her down onto one of the many hospital beds, trying to reassure that everything would be alright.

Molly finally pulled back from the embrace and looked up into his face. "I'm so sorry. I tried to get them to safety, but the portkey-" she began to explain.

Arthur gently wiped away the last of her tears with the pads of his thumbs and kissed her on the lips this time. "It wasn't your fault. The Death Eaters put some type of magical net placed over Diagon Alley to prevent Apparition and Portkey usage."

"Really?" she asked, still looking as though she wanted to blame herself for what had happened.

"Really. We couldn't even Floo out of there if we had wanted to. I guess it took the Order and the Ministry's Aurors quite a while to dismantle the wards they had created," Arthur explained.

"But the children," Molly began again. "Hermione told me what happened to Harry and poor Ronnie. Is our little boy going to be okay?"

"I'm sure he will be," said Arthur. He looked down and unconsciously began to rub the amulet still hanging around his neck.

"Is that it?" she asked, reaching for the golden trinket. "Is that the amulet Hermione spoke of?"

He nodded sadly, and it was then he noticing the large burn on his wife's hand as she gently fingered the amulet that now contained their son's soul. "Oh Molly, does it hurt much?" he asked gently taking her hand in his own so that he could examine it. The skin was blackened in some areas and already beginning to peel away revealing the raw skin underneath.

She forced a false smile onto her face and said, "It's just a flesh wound."

They were interrupted suddenly when a loud bang echoed across the infirmary, startling them all greatly. Severus Snape abruptly entered the hospital ward, having slammed the heavy doors open in his haste. He was followed by a battle worn Alastor Moody, who in sharp contrast had quietly closed the doors behind them. Severus gave Molly and Arthur a small glance, his face looking rather stoic, and walked directly to Albus without a word.

The headmaster quickly directed the pair into the private room where Ron lay, and then came over to where they were sitting. Albus handed Molly and Arthur each a vial of a strong pain killer. "This should help until Poppy can see to you herself."

"Thank you," said Arthur, quickly downing the potion and feeling relieved after he soon felt the effects. He saw Molly do the same beside him.

"We're ready… I must ask you for the amulet now," Albus said quietly, holding out his hand.

Arthur nodded, lifted the chain from his neck, and handed it over somewhat reluctantly. He knew his son's soul was in good hands, but he couldn't help but worry that something may go wrong. With the amulet in hand, Albus quickly left their side with a swish of his purple robes and entered the private room. The door closed with an audible thud, leaving them all in silence.

Looking quite confused about it all, Molly asked, "Is Ron in there? What's going on?"

"Their trying to save him," Arthur explained.

"But I want to see him!" she protested.

Sirius suddenly appeared before them and said, "It's better that you wait here. They need room to work."

"Wait? I'm not going to wait," Molly argued, looking incredulous at the notion. "I want to be with my son!"

"I agree," said Arthur, rising to his feet and gently pulling Molly up beside him. They were about to walk away when Sirius and Bill pushed them both back onto the bed.

"They have enough going on in there, Dad," Bill explained. "Curse breaking is difficult. You would only be in the way."

"But-" Arthur protested. He was about to try to rise again, when he heard the voices of his children.

"Mum! Dad!" Fred, George, and Ginny shouted as they ran through the infirmary doors to get to them. Sirius resumed his position beside Harry's bed to give the family some space. As they approached, the threesome soon realized that something was very wrong.

Bill looked at them angrily and said, "I thought I told you to wait in the tower!"

"We wanted to be here when you all arrived," Fred said matter-of-factly, looking at his father now with much concern. "Looks like we're a little late for that though."

"You lot never listen," Bill complained.

"Exactly. Why start now?" George added. His attempt at humor was a little misplaced considering the situation.

"What happened?" Ginny asked, her chin trembling as she looked her father and mother over. "You both look awful."

"We were attacked," Arthur said simply, not wanting his children to know the details.

His head was a little less foggy now and the memory of the battle was still fresh in his mind. Sensing his discomfort, Ginny wrapped her arms around her father gingerly, and kissed him on the cheek. She then did the same to her mother, before sitting down beside her father. The twins hugged their parents as well, grateful that they had made it through this relatively unscathed.

"Hey Hermione, didn't see you there. Are you okay?" asked George, noticing their friend for the first time sitting a few meters way looking quite solemn. She glanced over at them through tear filled eyes and nodded, but then turned away and continued to stare at what seemed to be nothing in particular.

"Where's Ron?" asked Fred, looking around for his brother.

Arthur didn't have the strength to answer his son's question, feeling somewhat like a failure that he was unable to protect them all. Fortunately, Bill answered for him. "Ron is… in there…" he said pointing to the private room.

Fred and George both moved closer to the room trying to understand what had happened to their little brother. "Ron is okay, right?" asked Fred, looking over his shoulder at his father, hoping for confirmation.

Arthur tried to find the words to explain, but in truth he didn't actually know what to say to them. How do you explain that although Ron appeared to be technically dead that his soul had really been severed from his body and they were trying to put him back together again? His children took his silence to mean the worst and their faces dropped in despair. Ginny began to cry silently beside him and he could see Fred and George reach for each other.

"What about Harry?" Ginny asked, having not seen the boy lying in the hospital bed only meters away.

Already knowing how much it would upset her, Arthur pointed to where Harry lay unconscious. They soon realized that Hermione had been staring at Harry all this time, watching over him in vigil. Quickly rising to her feet, Ginny moved towards where Harry lay and asked, "Is he okay?"

Sirius, who had been sitting on the other side of Harry in order to give the Weasleys some privacy said, "I think so. I'm not sure what happened to him, but he was pretty upset about Ron's condition. I had to stun him."

Ginny nodded trying to understand as she wiped the tears away. "But he'll be okay right?"

At first no one said anything in response. Only one of them had actually witnessed what had occurred. After a long while Hermione's small voice broke the silence, finally revealing what had taken place.

"There was no where left to hide," she began softly, though her words came quickly as though she wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. "There was no way to escape. They captured us and took away our wands leaving us defenseless. At first Voldemort tried to use an Imperius Curse on Harry, but he broke through it quickly. He tried to enter Harry's mind through Legilimens, but he broke out of that too… When that didn't work, he tortured Harry with the Cruciatus Curse… twice. And when it seemed that Harry still wouldn't break, he tortured Ron. Then he made Harry watch as he… he made Harry think that… Ron was dead…" she said, her voice sounding hollow and distant.

Sirius stood up and turned away from them to stare outside. He then crossed his arms over his chest, seemingly upset to learn what had happened to his godson.

"Is Ron dead?" Fred asked, his eyes filled with tears.

"No!" Arthur quickly clarified. He then relayed the information he had learned from Dumbledore so that Hermione wouldn't have to. "They are going to save him," he added, hoping to placate his children's fears.

Ginny quietly sat down next to her friend, still looking quite distraught, and wrapped her arms around Hermione. The pair leaned their heads towards one another, appreciating the sisterly embrace.

"Are you sure about all of this?" George asked Hermione, looking as though he couldn't quite understand the situation. "What if-"

"I was there! I was there and I couldn't do anything, okay!" Hermione yelled, but it seemed as though she were trying to convince herself of this more than anything else. She began to cry again and Ginny quietly shushed her trying to make her feel better.

"It's okay, Hermione," said George, looking quite apologetic. "I didn't mean anything by it. I just want to understand…"

"C'mon, let's sit down," Fred suggested to his brother. George nodded and the twins sat down beside Bill across from their parents to wait this out.

"Would you like me to try healing your wounds?" Bill asked his parents. "I know a few spells… but I honestly haven't used them in a while. Your wounds could scar…"

Molly smiled at him plaintively. "Thanks dear, but we can wait."

And wait they did. After while they all began to grow restless when it seemed that things were taking longer than expected. Sirius was pacing now, exemplifying everyone's worry.

"It's been too long…" Arthur said, feeling the worry begin to claw at his chest once more.

To say Arthur was terrified would be a gross understatement. The comfort he had felt earlier when he had held the amulet close to his heart was gone, and now he was full of doubts. What if the potion didn't work? What if Ron's soul had already passed on? What if his son never woke up again? He had entrusted his son's life into the hands of these men. What if something were to go wrong? What if it already had? The hope he had been clinging to was starting to fade, and he was frightened to say the least. Arthur needed answers and he wanted them now.

"Do you think that something is wrong?" asked Molly, sensing her husband's growing ansxiety.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out," he said, standing up quickly and crossing the distance to the private room.

He tried the handle but found it locked, so he knocked on the door. Poppy Pomfrey appeared in the doorway.

"What's going on?" Arthur asked. "What's taking so long?"

She sighed and quietly said, "This sort of thing takes time."

"How long?" he asked impatiently.

"I don't know," she responded softly.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Arthur said rudely, forgetting all manners and shouting at this woman who had cared for his family for so long.

"I don't know because this is out of my area of expertise. There is no more I can do in there anyway. I might as well start patching you up," she said, taking Arthur by the arm and directing him back to a hospital bed.

"No, I want to see Ron again!" he argued as he wrenched his arm away and attempted to enter the room. His panic was growing for some reason and he began to feel desperate for reassurance.

Remus appeared this time in the doorway, holding his hands up to stop the intrusion. "It's going to be okay," he began.

"Let me see my boy!" Arthur shouted, trying to get into the small private hospital room where his youngest son lay, possibly dead. "Let me see Ron!"

"Arthur! Stop this! Let them work!" Remus shouted, holding the man back. "As soon as we know something, you and your wife may see him!"

Over Remus's shoulder, Ron could be seen lying on a bed surrounded by Snape, Dumbledore, and Alastor Moody, who were working tirelessly to counteract the dark arts that had been used to put the poor boy in such a state. The three of them were chanting in some sort of ancient language and had their wands directed at his son's body. It was clear that they were trying to ignore his intrusion.

Arthur didn't have a clue what they were doing exactly, but he prayed that they were able to figure it all out. The family was waiting anxiously to know if Ron would make it, and he didn't want to be the one to tell them if he didn't pull through.

"Please… take care of him…" Arthur begged, tears rolling down his battered face.

"We will," said Remus, patting Arthur on the shoulder before turning back into the room and closing the door behind him.

"C'mon, Arthur," Sirius said gently, helping the man to walk away. "Let's get you off your feet."

Arthur nodded numbly as he was led over to where his wife still sat on one of the hospital beds, crying sadly with her arms wrapped around Fred and George now. Bill and Ginny were seated only a few beds away from them, their arms wrapped around a still distraught looking Hermione.

As Arthur drew near, Molly stood up and embraced her husband, sobbing into his shoulder once again. "It'll be alright Molly Lou. I promise," he said softly.

Their sons moved out of the way to allow their parents to sit down beside each other on the bed, still clinging desperately to each other.

* * *

Unable to handle the tension, Sirius began to pace the floor once again as Hermione and the Weasleys began to share what had happened to all of them in more detail as they waited. He listened half-heartedly, curious as to how it all went down, but his thoughts were rather preoccupied at the moment.

Pacing back and forth, he anxiously waited to find out how Harry was faring. His godson was currently lying behind a privacy screen just a few meters away and was now being attended to by the school nurse, Madam Pomfrey. Arthur and Molly had been injured as well during the battle, but had insisted that Harry was seen to be first when they found out that the poor boy had been tortured. They had already received some minimal healing as well as pain killing potions, but they wouldn't know the extent of their injuries until Pomfrey could do full diagnostic scans on then.

Sirius couldn't understand what was taking so long and was ready to go find out how his godson was doing, when Poppy Pomfrey finally removed the privacy curtain, revealing Harry's unconscious form lying in the hospital bed. He was now clad in standard hospital pajamas and was tucked into the small bed. Thankfully, Harry looked much better than he was before. The cuts and bruises that had marred his skin had already disappeared under the nurse's healing care.

"How is he?" Sirius asked quickly.

"Exhuasted," Poppy admitted. "The stunner you placed on him should have worn off by now, so that shows you how badly his body needs rest."

"Will he be alright?"

She nodded. "He was tortured," she said, confirming what they already knew. "His body was suffering from the effects of the Cruciatius curse so I gave him a potion to counter act it. I don't believe there is any nerve damage at this time, so that's good news. I also gave him a nutritional potion as well. His condition has improved since I saw him this summer, but he still needs the supplement in order to regulate his body's chemistry."

"Anything else?" he asked.

She shook her head in response.

"I'd like to speak with him, about you know…" said Sirius, glancing at the door to the room where Ron was currently fighting for his life. "Can we wake him?"

"It's better that he rest now, at least until we know something for sure," she argued. "He will wake when he is ready."

Sirius nodded, knowing that she was right. Pomfrey moved past him to attend to the Weasleys, who were still worrying about the unknown. Hermione and Ginny quietly joined him at the foot of Harry's bed.

"He's been through so much already," Hermione said quietly, looking at her friend with such sadness.

Her eyes held a knowledge way beyond her years and Sirius silently mourned that these teenagers had to grow up so fast. At least the Marauders had made it to their seventh year before Voldemort tried to take power.

"Do you think he will be okay?" asked Ginny, her big chocolate brown eyes seeking out his own.

He looked away and sighed, remembering the scene Harry had caused in Diagon Alley a few short hours ago when he thought he had lost his friend. "If Ron pulls through," Sirius muttered quietly, though he was sure that both of the girls had heard him.

They stood before his bed, watching the poor boy sleep for several long minutes, when the silence was finally broken by a loud racket.

"Stupid door!" a female voice muttered, from the other side of the massive heavy doors that blocked the entrance into the hospital ward. They rattled slightly as though someone were struggling with them. "Won't open."

"Trying pushing instead of pulling," said a woman with a Scottish accent.

"Oh," Tonks muttered, as she suddenly pushed her way into the large room. She looked frazzled and her hair was limp and brown, illustrating how trying today had been for the normally vibrant witch.

She was accompanied by Minerva McGonagall and Kingsley Shacklebolt, who was a fellow Order member and Auror. McGonagall went to assist her friend, Madam Pomfrey, whereas Kingsley spied Bill Weasley with his family and went to speak to him quietly.

Tonks approached Sirius and the girls quietly, looking quite sheepish after her embarrassing entrance. "Hello," she said quietly. "How is everyone?"

Hermione and Ginny filled her in, as Sirius continued to study his godson. When they got to the part where they explained that they were unaware of Ron's condition, the three fell silent.

"I do have some good news," Tonks finally offered, trying to ease the tension.

"Oh?" asked Sirius, turning to the Auror.

"We are still trying to assess the damage and return lost property. With all the wreckage, we were unable to find any of the purchases that the Weasleys or Harry and Hermione had left behind in during the attack, but we did find these…" said Tonks, holding in her hands four objects.

Sirius glanced down and saw the wands belonging to three teens in one hand and Harry's glasses in the other. He smiled at his cousin and took them from her gratefully. Hermione gratefully took her own wand, and clasped it to her chest, a look of relief crossing her face. With a smile, she and Ginny returned to join the others and share the good news.

"I had to repair the glasses, of course. They were in really bad shape," Tonks continued.

Sirius nodded and asked, "How did you find them?"

"The glasses were just lying in the middle of the street," she replied. "Must have fallen off in the middle of the attack."

"And the wands?"

"We lifted them off Avery," she said carefully, lowering her voice slightly.

"He was captured?" Sirius asked curiously, remembering the name of the Death Eater from when Harry was taken to the courthouse. Snape had spotted him in Muggle London then, forcing them to evacuate the premises quickly, but nothing ever came of it until now. Sirius wondered if the man had been scoping out the areas surrounding Diagon Alley in advance of the attack.

Tonks finally nodded. "We apprehended six of them so far. The Ministry is questioning them now."

"Pettigrew?" Sirius asked hopefully, although he felt he already knew the answer.

Tonks shook her head sadly, well aware that capturing Peter Pettigrew would prove her cousin's innocence once and for all. "Sorry."

Sirius wanted to continue to pump her with questions about what they had learned about the attack, but they were interrupted.

"He's awake," Remus said, calling to everyone from the doorway of the private hospital room.

Excited cheers rang through the infirmary and everybody ran to where Ron lay, alive and well. The Weasley family, Hogwarts Professors, Sirius, Remus, and the Aurors all filed into the now crowded room to see the red head lying peacefully on the bed. The only one that was not present was Snape, who had slipped out as everyone came in. Sirius found that rather curious, but decided not to dwell on it seeing as they should be celebrating that Ron was still among the living.

Sirius found his friend and joined him. "How are you holding up?" he asked Remus.

"Fine. You?" Remus asked.

"Just peachy," said Sirius, studying his godson's friend.

The fifteen year old looked pale, and obviously tired, but otherwise in good shape. His shoulder had been healed and he was dressed in standard hospital pajamas.

Ron opened his eyes blearily and said, "Hi, guys…"

Sirius watched as Molly collapsed onto the bed in relief and proceeded to give her son a bone crushing hug. "Oh Ronnie, you're alright. We've been so worried!" she said anxiously, as she kissed his forehead and cheeks.

"Mum, your squishing me…" Ron complained.

She moved away only to be replaced by his father, who wasn't much better. Then the twins and Ginny piled on, jumping around the edges of the bed, teasing their brother lightly.

"How are you old chap?" asked Fred, clasping Ron on the shoulder.

"Thought you were a goner for sure," added George. His comment made everyone in the room wince, but he seemed not to care.

"Nah, that one's a fighter," said Mad Eye Moody, his rough voice piping up suddenly. "Never gave up."

"Ron, a fighter? Really?" laughed Fred. Both he and George picked up their brother's arms, feeling for muscles. "These things are puny."

"Hey!" Ron laughed, but then winced as they jostled him. He was still recovering and obviously ill.

"Careful boys. Your brother has been through a lot," Remus reprimanded them.

Ron then spied Hermione and gave her a shy smile. His best friend, too overcome with emotion to say anything, gave a small squeak at then flew at him. She wrapped her arms around him, her bushy hair smothering his face causing him to disappear momentarily. Ron was a good sport about it and awkwardly patted his friend on the back reassuringly. She finally pulled back and rejoined the others circling his bed.

Sirius watched as Ron searched their faces, looking for his other friend. He didn't want to be the one to explain to Ron how Harry had reacted in front of Gringotts this afternoon. Having witnessed it had been bad enough.

"Harry?" Ron asked, his voice cracking with concern. "Where's Harry?"

Sirius met Ron's blue eyes and saw the worry there. "He's in the hospital wing," he muttered.

Clearly alarmed he asked, "Why? What happened?"

"Harry is fine, I assure you," said Dumbledore, looking thoroughly exhausted now.

In fact, Mad Eye Moody didn't look much better after restoring Ron's soul. His magical eye looked a little lazy just now. It seemed to keen on studying the floor instead of swirling around as it is known to do on occasion.

"But-" Ron began to complain.

"He's resting just now. He's been through a lot, as have you," said Dumbledore.

Ron nodded numbly, looking quite glum that his friend hadn't been here when he woke up. Sirius saw him glance at the headmaster and seemed to notice that the wizard was clutching what had to be a very familiar looking necklace in his hands.

"That's it, isn't it?" Ron asked, his voice filled with trepidation.

"Yes, it was," Dumbledore replied, slipping the now slightly charred looking object into a pocket in his robes. "You don't need to worry yourself with it any longer."

The group talked quietly for a few moments filling Ron in on everything that had happened, but it was clear after several yawns how exhausted he still was. The others politely bid Ron goodnight, seeing as he needed some time and quietly filed out of the room leaving only his parents, Sirius, and Remus.

"Ron, you should know," Sirius began, "that for a while there Harry thought you were dead. He had a rough time of it."

"Does he know that I'm not?" Ron asked seriously.

Sirius shook his head. "He's been unconscious since we returned," he replied.

"But-"

Concerned for his friend, Ron began to sit up, only to be pushed gently back down by his father. "He's fine, Ron. Just a bit tired is all. When he wakes up, we'll let him know you're okay."

"Are you sure he was alright?" Ron asked. "He was tortured and-"

"We know," replied his father. "Hermione saw everything."

"Oh," Ron replied. He lay back against his pillows looking tired and defeated.

They were quiet for a moment as the weight of it all settled upon them. "I do have some good news," said Sirius, reaching into his robes for Ron's wand. "The Aurors were able to retrieve this for you."

"My wand!" Ron shouted, he grabbed the thin piece of wood he had been handed and clutched it to his chest much like Hermione had earlier.

Losing a wand for any witch or wizard was quite devastating. It was like losing a piece of you, much like if you were to lose friend. To have something so precious returned once more was overwhelming. His parents looked on, already aware that Sirius would be returning the wand to him once he was awake.

"Thank you…" Ron whispered. He then set the wand under his pillow and settled against the bed once more, looking quite tired.

"We should let you rest," said Sirius, seeing the red head already closing his eyes tiredly.

Remus nodded and walked towards Ron's parents. "You all should rest," he said. "I'll watch over him."

"Thank you, but that's alright," Arthur protested.

"I insist. Dumbledore is having food sent up from the kitchen. I was told to tell you that your family is welcome to sleep in the hospital ward tonight," said Remus.

"I don't know," Arthur began, unable to suppress a yawn.

"You both need to sleep. You've been through a lot," Remus insisted.

"But-" Molly began, looking tearful at the prospect of leaving Ron.

"I know you want to be with your son, but you can barely stand upright. You should be sleeping," said Remus. "You'll be of no use to him tomorrow when he needs you. I promise I'll watch over him tonight and let you know if anything changes."

Arthur smiled in appreciation. "That's very kind and all, but-"

"Please… I feel awful for not having done more to protect your family today. Allow me to do this small gesture," Remus said quietly.

Arthur finally relented. "Alright then, if you insist. Thank you, my friend," he said, reaching out to shake the man's hand.

"Thank you," said Molly, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "For everything…"

The pair leaned over and kissed their son good night and guided each other out of the room. Sirius followed the couple out and found that the house elves had already set up tables between some of the beds and was serving food. Dumbledore and the rest of the Order members had left, leaving only Hermione, the Weasleys, and Harry still unconscious in the hospital wing.

Dinner was a quiet affair and before they quite knew what was happening everyone had been issued self sizing Hogwarts pajamas of their own and were being ushered into beds. The leftover food and tables disappeared and they were all administered Calming Draughts, regardless of whether they wanted them or not. Madam Pomfrey was determined to look after them all after their ordeal, and it seemed that she felt that they all needed a good rest.

Sirius had joined the others for dinner, but had refused the pajamas and a bed, much to Pomfrey's dismay. Instead he sat vigilantly by Harry's bed side for hours, waiting for his godson to wake up. He thought about many things, but mostly he was relieved that they had all survived the attack. But after such an eventful day, sleep finally overcame him and he closed his eyes.

* * *

Harry struggled against the fog that had captured him, enfolding him in its unending haze of numbness, refusing to allow him to fully gain consciousness. But struggled he did until he was finally able to open his eyes blearily and break the fog's slumbering hold.

Unaware of his surroundings, Harry squinted groggily first up at the ceiling and then from side to side. Feeling too weak, for some reason, to raise from his prone position, he tried ascertain where he was. It was definitely night time, for the sky was dark outside the large windows and everything was basked in the warm glow of candlelight. He was in a large cavernous room, of that much he was sure, and when he squinted a little harder he could just make out rows of beds neatly lined on either side of the room with an aisle way down the center. He realized then that he was in the infirmary at Hogwarts. But why? Having awakened fully, he was determined to figure out how he had gotten here because he seemed to have forgotten.

His glasses were missing and they were not on the table beside his hospital bed. Raising his head off the pillow and bracing his body up on his elbows, he looked around to see if anyone else was here. It was then that he noticed that all the beds were occupied, by a sea of red heads. Harry knew without a doubt that it was the Weasleys. But why were they here too?

From the shape and size of each of the blurry bodies, Harry was able to determine that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley was at the far end of the room, and their oldest son, Bill, was asleep in a chair between them. The twins and Ginny were sleeping in beds a few down from Harry. Looking at the bed across at the room from him, Hermione's bushy head of hair gave her away.

Harry almost fell out of bed in surprise when he saw Sirius asleep in a chair beside him, propped up in what had to be an uncomfortable position. He hadn't even realized that Sirius was there. What had happened? A horrible feeling soon wriggled its way into the pit of Harry's stomach. Where was Ron? The rest of the Weasleys were here, minus Percy and Charlie of course, so where was Ron?

That's when it hit him. Memories of the attack at Diagon Alley today came ripping back into Harry's mind and he relived the horrible moment when Ron was forced to take that potion and was hit with that awful spell. And with that came the realization that… _Ron was gone_.

Overwhelmed with grief once more, Harry quickly lay back against his bed as tears fell down his face. He curled up into a tight little ball on his side, twisting the sheets tightly between his fingers, and let out a howl of grief into his pillow. As he began to painfully sob, he felt the mattress dip slightly as Sirius sat down beside him. Harry's weeping must have woken him up.

"Harry…" Sirius began, reaching out to comfort him.

Harry vaguely remembered pushing his godfather away earlier when he realized what had happened to Ron, but now he wanted nothing more to be held by someone who cared about him. Feeling overwhelmingly distraught, Harry turned around and threw himself into Sirius's arms, surprising the man slightly. Harry had never initiated such affection before. He continued to sob as he clasped onto his godfather's robes, desperately wishing that this was all a bad dream. Sirius wrapped his arms around him tightly, and he shushed Harry in soft reassuring tones.

"Harry… I know you're upset about Ron… but you don't have to be… Ron is alive," whispered Sirius.

"He's d-dead," Harry muttered pitifully, thinking that Sirius was going to feed him some kind of sympathetic crap about how _"he will always be alive in our hearts."_

"Shh…He's really alive, Harry," said Sirius firmly. "We were able to save him."

Harry pulled back slightly and looked up at Sirius, not sure if he had heard him correctly. "But I s-saw… Ron was…" he asked, wiping his tears away. Hope found its way back into his heart, beginning to push away the darkness he was feeling inside.

"Ron appeared to be dead, I know. I was fooled too," Sirius began quietly. "But it was all a trick. Hermione saw everything and helped Dumbledore figure out how to save Ron. That potion he was forced to take put his body in a sort of stasis. Voldemort then used a spell to remove his soul and place it in an amulet."

"His soul?" Harry choked out, surprised by what his godfather was saying. He hadn't seen any of that though his poor vision. "But w-why? Why would Voldemort do that?"

"Shh… we don't want to wake the others." Sirius continued in a hurried whisper, "We can only assume to manipulate you into helping him get whatever he wanted."

Harry sniffled softly. "So what happened?"

"Ron's body was frozen, so to speak, but we had to find a way to return Ron's soul back to his body. Snape cooked up some elaborate potion, Dumbledore spoke an ancient incantation, and old Moody zapped his soul was back in his body. And then all was well." The way Sirius explained it made everything sound like a walk in the park, but Harry was sure it was much more complicated than all of that.

"So you found the amulet then?" he asked curiously, wiping away his tears.

Sirius nodded. "Peter left it behind," he explained.

Harry was shocked to discover this. "But why?"

"I don't know," he said. "Maybe because he feels sentimental after being Ron's pet Scabbers for so long. Or perhaps to return his life debt."

"What?" Harry asked feeling thoroughly confused. _What life debt?_

"That night in your third year when you wouldn't allow Remus or I to kill him, you saved Peter's life. He has owed you a wizard's debt since then, and I think he tried to repay it today by saving Ron," Sirius explained

Harry had never heard of such thing and certainly couldn't understand why a Death Eater would care about repaying such a debt. Wormtail certainly had to have risked punishment from Voldemort had he found out. "I don't understand…"

Sirius sighed and shook his head. "Neither do I, but perhaps being Ron's pet rat for so long left Peter feeling a little sentimental. Maybe that was motivation enough to leave behind what we needed to save him."

Harry shrugged, not knowing what else to say.

"Do you want to see him?" Sirius asked.

"Is he here?" Harry asked excitedly. He had assumed that since Ron was not sleeping in any one of the hospital beds that he had been taken to St. Mungo's or something.

Sirius nodded and smiled. "He's sleeping in the private hospital room."

Harry quickly got out of bed, immediately noticing how badly his limbs were shaking. He had only taken a few steps forward when he felt Sirius arms helping him from behind.

"Careful, you've been through a lot today," his godfather said. "Poppy had to feed you some potions to counteract the curses you were tortured with as well as a nutritional potion. She'd skin me alive if she knew I let her patient out of bed."

Harry laughed softly at that, knowing how true it was. He allowed Sirius to help him cross the room, and opened the door to the private room. He nearly fell over in relief he finally saw Ron lying safely in his bed. Harry then saw that Remus was sitting beside him, holding vigil.

"Is he-" Harry began to ask.

Remus smiled reassuringly. "Just sleeping."

"Has he woken up?" Sirius asked, as he quickly conjured up two more chairs next to the one Remus was currently occupying.

"Not since earlier," Remus replied, looking quite tired.

Harry sat down beside his former professor and felt Sirius do the same on the other side of him.

"Will he be okay?" Harry asked, remembering everything Sirius had told him about what Ron had gone through.

"He needs to rest, but he will be just fine," Remus explained.

Harry let out a breath of relief that he hadn't even known that he had been holding. He then sagged against the hard chair, studying Ron's beautiful freckled face wishing that he could talk to him. He remembered all those awful feelings he had earlier when he thought Ron had died, and he desperately wanted to tell him something that he had meaning to for a while now.

"How are the others?" Harry asked, swallowing against the rising lump in his throat.

"They are all fine. Arthur and Molly were pretty banged up, but Poppy patched them up just fine," Sirius replied.

"Hermione?" Harry asked.

"She's fine, too," Remus replied. "And what about you? How are you handling all of this?"

"I don't know… I haven't really thought about it much yet. I was just so upset w-when I thought-" Harry couldn't continue, feeling too choked up to say anything else. He just couldn't shake the feeling that he had almost lost the love of his life.

"We know," Sirius said, grasping Harry's hand and giving it a squeeze to reassure him. Harry nodded gratefully and quelled the tears that were trying to escape. He wondered if his godfather suspected that there was more to Ron and Harry's friendship than before.

"Well, do you have any questions?" Remus prompted.

Harry was thoughtful for a few minutes, trying to wrap his brain around everything that had happened. There was one thing that had been bothering him so he decided to voice in now. "Voldemort wanted me to join him? Why?" Harry asked.

"Pledging your allegiance to Voldemort would have been the ultimate betrayal," Remus explained. "It could have shattered all the efforts of the 'light' side and swung the outcome of the war in a different direction."

Harry was confused. "How come?"

"Harry, I know you don't want to see it, but our world sees you as the icon of all things good. You're the Golden Child, the Boy-Who-Lived. You were responsible for the downfall of Voldemort the first time around and they see you as their hope for the future," Sirius explained.

"But that wasn't me! It was my mother's sacrifice!" Harry argued.

Sirius shrugged, and continued, "They don't know that and it doesn't matter anyway. You are still important to everyone just the same."

"Yeah, well I hate it," he muttered.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Harry…" Remus replied.

Sirius nodded and added, "I know it must be difficult sometimes, but-"

"Difficult is an understatement! I hate the looks I get! The way people talk about me! You don't know what it's like!" Harry shouted, wrapping his arms around his torso protectively.

"So tell me what it is like," Sirius prompted.

"I feel like everyone is expecting me to defeat Voldemort. Why do I have to do it? It's not like it says Boy-Who-Lived must defeat the Dark Lord anywhere. Why can't everyone leave me alone!" Harry exclaimed, noticing the look that had passed between Remus and Sirius. They obviously knew more than they were letting on.

"Shh…" Sirius immediately shushed. "You don't want to wake Ron."

"Sorry," Harry said quickly, feeling guilty.

He knew the last thing Ron needed while he was trying to rest was someone shouting and carrying on rudely. They sat quietly with one another for a while in silence, mulling over their thoughts, continuing the vigil.

"I'll never join him…" Harry stated quietly.

Sirius nodded and smiled at him. "I know."

"And I'll never help him get whatever he wanted from the Department of Mysteries either," he added, rubbing tiredly at his eyes.

"He asked you to help him?" Remus questioned, sharing another look with Sirius.

Harry nodded tiredly.

Sirius then asked, "Did Voldemort say what he wanted you to retrieve?"

"No," Harry replied quickly. Then he saw something in Sirius's eyes that made him ask, "Do you know?"

After a sharing another long look with his friend, they seemed to come to a silent understanding. "Yes," his godfather finally replied.

"Well?" Harry prompted.

Sirius sighed audibly and rested his head against the back of his chair, looking unsure for the first time Harry could remember.

"We're not supposed to tell you," said Remus quietly.

"But I have a right to know!" Harry complained.

"I know you do," said Sirius, "but Dumbledore thinks it may be too dangerous; that he could try to use the information against you."

"He already did," Harry stated flatly. "Voldemort almost killed my b-best friend over it."

"You're right…" Remus agreed.

"It's something that Voldemort didn't have the first time around," his godfather finally said.

"Like a weapon?"

"No, knowledge," Sirius explained. Harry gave him a curious look and he continued. "It's a prophecy about you and Voldemort."

Harry was shocked. His limited knowledge of prophecies extended from his Divination professor, and he had never put much stock in anything she ever had to say. "A prophecy? What does it say?"

"I don't know," Sirius admitted.

"Well, why does he need me to get it? Why can't he just go in there and steal it himself?" Harry asked.

"Because only the one for whom the prophecy is about may retrieve it," said Remus.

"Oh."

"Any other questions?" asked Remus.

"Yeah," Harry said tiredly, rubbing at his eyes once more. "Do you think we could go get me some new glasses? I think I lost mine."

"I almost forgot I had these," Sirius said suddenly, handing Harry is wand and glasses. "Tonks retrieved them from Diagon Alley."

Harry quickly put them on and sighed in relief when the world came back into focus once more.

"Hermione?" Remus suddenly called, spying someone in the doorway.

"I heard voices," she said simply.

"Well come on in," he urged as he stood up and offered her to take his seat. She nodded and sat down beside Harry.

Remus giving Sirius a knowing look and he stood up as well. "We'll leave you alone for a bit, I guess," said Sirius.

"Thanks," Harry said gratefully, watching the two men leave.

"How are you?" Hermione asked him, looking apprehensive.

"Alright, I guess," he replied. "And you?"

"I'm fine," she said quietly.

That sat beside one another quietly, watching the gentle rise and fall of Ron's chest. Neither knew what to say to the other and the tension began to grow in their silence.

When she could take it no longer Hermione turned to Harry and said, "I'm so sorry."

"For what?" asked Harry, looking at her in surprise.

"For ever suggesting that we had to keep moving. We should have just stayed with Mrs. Weasley in that music shop. The Death Eaters never even found her. We would have been safe," Hermione said hurriedly.

Harry shook his head. "They would have found us eventually," he stated. "They were looking for me. We would have only put her more in danger. You were right for suggesting we stay on the move."

Hermione didn't look as though she wanted to believe him. "And then I got put into that stupid petrifying spell. I should have never struggled…" she moaned pitifully placing her head in her hands.

"Hermione, it's okay. You were scared," said Harry, placing a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "Besides, there was nothing you could have done… nothing any of us could have done…"

"It's just I felt so helpless," she admitted, angrily wiping away a stray tear. "I hated being able to watch everything and not do a thing about it."

"I'm sorry you went through that," Harry said quietly, feeling as thought once again he had endangered his friends because of his connection to Voldemort.

Hermione nodded, appreciating his concern.

"Do your parents know what happened?" asked Harry.

Hermione nodded. "I contacted them after I knew Ron was going to be okay. They were pretty upset about it all. They want me to come home tomorrow morning."

They sat there in silence for a long while studying Ron, neither one of them able to voice what they were really thinking about. Hermione had seen and heard everything. Harry knew that she was too smart of a witch not to figure out that Harry and Ron were a couple now. He just couldn't bring himself to say anything about it.

"Well, I guess I'll head back to bed then," Hermione said awkwardly. "Maybe you should get to bed too. You need some rest as well."

He shrugged and said, "I think I'm going to stay for a bit."

"Well, don't stay up too late okay?" said Hermione, giving him a quick hug on her way out.

Harry nodded, but in truth he had no intention of going back to bed tonight. He was sure that he would be plagued with nightmares if he tried and he wanted to be here when Ron woke up. He made himself as comfortable as possible in the chair and set in for a long night.

* * *

Ron woke again sometime during the early morning hours and quickly saw that he was not alone. Harry lay curled up in a little ball, resting in a nearby chair. His knees were tucked into his chest and his arms wrapped around them. His head lay sideways across his knees, glasses askew. He had already begun to tilt sideways and Ron knew that if he weren't careful that he'd tumble right out of the chair. Ron laughed at his boyfriend's precarious position, touched that he would spend most of the night looking after him. But then he thought about the horrible kink Harry would have in his neck later and decided that he should probably wake him up.

Slowly sitting up in bed, still feeling weak from his ordeal, Ron gently reached out and shook Harry's arm. "Hey mate, wake up…"

Harry had always been a light sleeper and woke instantly. "Ron," he said, "are you alright?"

Ron smiled, taking in Harry's sleepy face. "I'm fine, now… what about you?"

"I'm alright," Harry replied simply. He seemed at a loss as to what to say after that and looked about uncomfortably.

"Are you sure?"

Harry nodded, still not looking at him directly.

"Cause it seems like something is wrong," Ron prodded.

When Harry finally did look at Ron, his eyes were filled with tears that Harry was trying not to shed. Finally understanding Harry's silence, Ron gestured for him to join him on his bed and they sat beside one another. "I'm alright, I promise. You don't have to be worried."

"You don't understand," said Harry, sighing miserably as he leaned against Ron's shoulder.

"What?"

"I-I thought you were dead," he finally muttered.

Ron didn't know what to say. They had told him how distraught Harry had been after what had happened, and he wasn't sure what to say or do to make that pain go away. He knew that he would have been a mess if anything that happened to Harry like that as well.

"I know," he said finally. "I'm sorry you went through that."

"It's not your fault," Harry insisted quickly.

"I know, but it must have been awful. If I were in your shoes… seeing that…" Ron began, his voicing trailing off as it became choked with emotion.

Harry turned to face him and wrapped his arms around him, embracing him tightly. "I thought I'd l-lost you…" he began quietly, sniffling into Ron's shoulder.

"Shh… it's okay now," Ron said, whispering soft reassurances his love's ear.

"No, it's n-not okay. I was so scared that I lost you… and that I never had the chance to tell you…" said Harry, swallowing audibly, "that I love you…"

Ron smiled, already knowing how Harry felt. He had told Harry these three simply complicated words just after Harry had finished testifying against his uncle, but the dark haired boy had never felt the courage to say it in return. Ron knew that Harry had never felt affection of any kind while living with his horrid relatives and expressing his fondness for Ron was much more difficult. Hearing Harry finally say those words meant the world to him.

"I love you, too," Ron said pulling him close and kissing him firmly on the lips.

They were both sporting some amazing morning breath, but neither one of them seemed to care. They latched on to one another as though they may never let go and expressed their love in the most innocent of ways. When they finally did come up for air, Ron pulled Harry down beside so that they could have a good cuddle before the others woke up.

They lay that way for a long while, confident that they wouldn't be discovered just yet seeing as it was still amazingly early in the morning. They traced each others hands and torsos playfully with the tips of their fingers as they replayed everything that had happened yesterday afternoon. Before long Harry fell asleep beside him, still exhausted from trying to sit up half the night, and Ron absentmindedly played with his tousled black hair.

He made a point to remind himself that they should probably go join the others soon or be forced into an embarrassing conversation, but he was simply too comfortably in love to want to do anything than hold his boyfriend close just now. They had been through a lot together in such a short time, and for now Ron wanted to relish in the comfort of just holding his boyfriend while he slept.

Ron felt himself grow sleepy once more and began to nod off when the door to his hospital room opened and a bushy head of hair appeared.

"Am I interrupting something?" a voice called from the doorway.

"Er…" was the only thing he was able to mutter, so shocked at Hermione's early morning arrival. "I-I…we were just…" Ron muttered, trying to gently get out from underneath Harry.

He desperately tried to think of a way to explain their awkward situation but was quickly coming up with nothing, and his faced burned with embarrassment. This was not how he and Harry wanted Hermione to find out.

"No, don't wake him," she whispered, gesturing for him to lie back down. "I just wanted to see how you were doing. I was here last night when you were asleep, and talked to Harry for a bit. I see that he never went to bed like I asked… well at least not his own bed."

She then closed the door behind her and then padded across the stone floor, barefooted and still wearing her pajamas, and sat down in the chair Harry had occupied earlier. She folded her legs and tucked her feet underneath her to prevent them from getting cold and looked quite comfortable.

Ron, however was anything but comfortable right now. He felt his face flush even redder than it was before, if that was even possible. His eyes darted back and forth between Harry and Hermione, and he was at a loss as to what to say. His mouth open and closed several times, but no words came out.

Hermione smiled softly and ducked her heads sheepishly. "It's okay, I know."

"I don't know what you mean," Ron sputtered, still feeling awkward with Harry sleeping so soundly beside him.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I figured it out."

"I still don't-" he began.

"It's okay, Ron. I know you two are together," she said softly.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"How?"

"Besides the obvious?" she asked, gesturing to the boys' current position, and smiling at his discomfort.

Ron nodded in apprehension.

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know how to explain it. Something had just changed between you. I could feel it all day yesterday… and then there was something that Voldemort said."

"What?" asked Ron curiously.

"He called you Harry's boyfriend… his love."

"Oh."

"So how long?" she asked curiously.

"Not long. Maybe a couple of weeks," Ron said. "Took us a while."

"Does anyone else know?" Hermione asked.

"Mum figured it out too," he began and then mumbled, "and the twins kind of discovered it by accident."

"How?"

"I'd rather not say," Ron whispered quickly, his face growing quite hot again.

Hermione nodded seeming to understand, but it was clear she was feeling quite awkward. When she didn't say anything again for a long while Ron added, "We were going to tell you soon. Honest."

Hermione tried to smiled, but seemed somewhat sad.

"Are you okay?"

"Sure," she said, "why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know… it must be kind of weird for you…"

"Yeah, kind of," she agreed.

"Are you bothered by it? The fact that Harry and I are…"

"Gay?" Hermione asked, filing in the blank for him.

Ron cringed, still hating the sound of that word. Why must everything have a label? Why couldn't people love who they want without having to be labeled in such a way. "Yeah," he finally said.

"No, not really…"

"Not really?" asked Ron, worried now.

"I didn't mean it like that. It doesn't bother me that you guys are gay. I just never thought of the two of you together," she said softly, looking sad once more.

"Oh," Ron said simply, finally catching on to what Hermione was trying to say.

She was sad because she had kind of thought that there might have been something between her and Ron. He had given her a lot of mixed signals last year, and he couldn't blame her for being confused. Hell, he had been just as confused last year. In hindsight, Ron could see what all of his jealously really was; a way to outlet his own frustrations with coming to terms with his own sexual identity.

Ron felt bad for Hermione, but knew deep down she would be okay with it all. She was a good friend, the best that there was, and she would always accept them no matter what. Her heart would find another someday, and Ron wondered whatever had become of her budding relationship with Victor Krum this summer.

"Anyway…" Hermione said, to break the silence. "You'd better wake him up soon. Your mother wants to head back to the Burrow as soon as possible."

"You're probably right," said Ron.

He then watched as she slid off of her perch on the chair and headed toward the door. She opened it hesitantly and peeked out into the hospital wing.

"You might want to hurry," she said. "Everyone's awake."

Ron nodded and saw Hermione leave and close the door behind her softly. Looking down at Harry now, he saw the black haired teen smile and then peer up at him through half lidded eyes.

Laughing Ron said, "Have you been awake this whole time?"

"Of course. You know I'm a light sleeper," Harry replied with a yawn as he sat up.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

Harry shrugged. "Trying to avoid an awkward conversation, I guess."

"So you just left me to it then, ay?"

Harry nodded and gave him a peck on the lips. "You did a good job. Thanks."

"Do you feel relieved?"

"That Hermione knows and is okay with it all?"

Ron nodded now.

"I guess. It just feels weird with everyone knowing."

"Not everyone."

"I know," Harry agreed.

"Do you want to wait to tell my dad and Ginny?"

"No, they should know too, I guess. And Maybe Sirius and Remus," Harry began. "But I don't want anyone else to know yet. Is that okay?"

Ron nodded. "Sure."

"We should get dressed," Harry suggested, pointing to the clothes that had been neatly laid out on the bed side tables.

The house elves had apparently washed and repaired them last night while they were sleeping. Neither of them commented on the fact that the house elves seemed to know that Harry would be sleeping in Ron's room last night.

When they were dressed and presentable once more, they entered the rest of the hospital wing, hoping to look as casual as possible. They were surprised to see everyone dressed and seated at the hospital beds, with large tables of food between them.

"What's all this?" Ron asked.

"Breakfast," replied his mum. "Now sit down and eat please. You need your strength."

Ron didn't have to be told twice. He didn't care that they were eating in the hospital wing instead of the Great Hall. All that mattered was that there was food.

Seeing as the table where his mother and father were seated with Bill and Ginny was full, he moved across the aisle way where the twins were sitting with Hermione. She scooted down a bit to make room for Harry and Ron to sit down beside her. Remus and Sirius were sitting with Professor Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey, and McGonagall at another table behind them.

"I'm starved!" Ron groaned as he sat down and helped himself to some bacon, toast, eggs, and pumpkin juice.

"You are always starved," commented Ginny, across the aisle, seated at her own table.

"I can't help it if I'm a growing boy," Ron countered, as he shoved a mound of eggs into his mouth. "Besides, I missed dinner last night."

That seemed to shut his sister up. Ron looked over to make sure that Harry was eating and then found that the twins were waggling their eyes at them suggestively.

"So Harry… I see that you didn't sleep in your own bed last night," said George quietly. "I woke up in the middle of the night and you were gone."

Then Fred softly added, "Care to tell us where exactly you decided to bunker down?"

Harry went beat red and Ron immediately whispered, "Shut up!"

"We're just wondering, Ronnie," said George. "It is awful curious. Don't you think Hermione?"

"I know where he slept last night," Hermione said simply, knowing that the twins were trying to out her friends' relationship. Ron raised an eyebrow at her, wondering where this was going, and Harry squirmed beside him.

"You do?" they both asked.

"Well, sure," she said, then lowering her voice she added, "I found them cuddling last night in bed. Isn't it sweet?"

The twins shared a look and it was clear that their plan had been foiled. Fred crinkled up his nose in distaste. "I don't know if I'd call it sweet?"

"I'd call it… daring…" said George. "You'd both better be careful or you're going to get caught by Ginger over there. And when she finds out about the pair of you, it won't be pretty…"

Their eyes all turned too look over at Ginny, knowing how true George's words were. Ginny had a crush on Harry since forever and she was going to be devastated when she learned that the Boy-Who-Lived had fallen in love with her brother instead. Sensing that everyone was looking at her, she looked over at them confusion. The group looked away quickly and went about eating their breakfast as if nothing had happened.

A little while later, Ron heard Dumbledore say, "Ah, the morning paper. Right on time."

Glancing over at the large windows that flanked the hospital wing along its side, a large brown owl wearing the Daily Prophet crest had arrived to deliver its paper. Dumbledore used his wand to allow the large bird to gain entry through a now opened window, retrieved the paper from its talons, and deposited a few coins into its pouch all in a few swift moves. He opened it up quickly, and said "Just as I expected."

With a shake of his head, the headmaster sat down once more and handed the paper to Remus and Sirius. Curious as to what the paper had written about yesterday's attack on Diagon Alley, Ron and Harry moved toward their table to take a peek. Some of the others had joined them. Across the top of the page was the headline: **_Diagon Alley Trembles in Fear at You-Know-Who's Return!_**

"Well, Voldemort got what he wanted," Harry mused aloud. "He could have picked the headline himself."

Ron nodded, remembering You-Know-Who's elaborate speech when they had been captured. He had actually predicted the headlines that would be in the paper today. There were several articles of what had happened. Further down the page there was another title that said:

**_Harry Potter was Telling the Truth_**

_By Rita Skeeter_

_It was believed by many that after the events that occurred during the Tri-Wizard Tournament earlier this year, that Harry Potter, also known by many as the Boy-Who-Lived, may have lied about the rebirth of You-Know-Who and death of another Hogwarts student, Cedric Diggory. It appears now after the attack on Diagon Alley, that he may have in fact been telling the truth. One can only speculate as to the horrors the young boy witnessed that night the Dark Lord was reborn and if the trauma has caused him any undue affects. _

_An unconfirmed source believes that Harry Potter may have also been witness to the slaughter last night, though he has been unavailable for questioning at this time…_

Harry walked away, unable to read any more of the trash Rita Skeeter was trying to promote and sat down beside Hermione once more. Remus, Sirius, and Ron browsed through the article looking for some actual facts, rather than the mindless dribble that seemed to splatter most of the supposed newsworthy media.

They were able to find a few tidbits of information that were useful:

_Six Aurors were captured…_

_21 witches and wizards were killed in the attack… (Ron didn't recognize any of the names, though Sirius and Remus had)._

_St. Mungos was inundated with patients suffering from curses, burns, and smoke inhalation…_

_Seven buildings were burned or destroyed…_

_The total loss and damages were estimated to be 30,000 galleons _

_The Ministry is going to take an aggressive stance in the capture of You-Know-Who and his followers…._

Overwhelmed by the staggering data, Ron walked away to see when they were going back to the Burrow. As he neared his mother he saw that she was furiously writing on a couple pieces of parchment.

"Mum, whatcha doin'?" he asked curiously.

"Writing your brothers," she said simply without looking up at him, her quill still moving quickly across the parchment.

"Brothers? Which ones?" Ron asked stupidly. Obviously he could figure out that only two of them were missing, but he couldn't begin to understand why his mother felt the need to stay in contact with the black sheep of the family.

"Charlie and Percy, of course," she said with an exaggerated sigh. "They need to know what happened and that we are alright."

"Okay, I see why you are writing Charlie, but why Percy? It's not like he has ever given a rat's arse about this family," said Ron irritably, crossing his arms over his chest.

"People can change, Ron… and watch your mouth," said his father, finishing the last of his coffee. "It looks as though everyone is ready, Molly. How about we finally head home?"

She looked at him in surprise. "Oh, I suppose that is alright. I was hoping to use one of the school owls, but I guess that the letters can wait until we're home. Alright, everyone, let's say our goodbyes. It's time to go."

"Finally," said the twins, standing up and stretching lazily. The rest of them stood up as well, and the left over food and tables vanished suddenly as if they had never been there.

"No offense Madam Pomfrey, but this place is a bit of a downer," added Fred.

"Offense taken," the school nurse muttered under her breath, as she disappeared into her office.

"How are we going to get there?" inquired Ron. No one could Apparate directly from Hogwarts, so he assumed that they were going to be using a portkey again.

"The Floo," his father informed them. "The network seems to be working again."

"Really?" asked Bill, "I'm surprised the Ministry was able to re-establish the connections so quickly. Did they find anyone on the inside that was working with Voldemort?"

Their father shrugged, looking nonplussed about it all. "I don't really know. I suppose I'll learn more when I get back to work."

Dumbledore and McGonagall already had the hospital ward's Floo ready and were patiently standing beside it waiting for their departure.

"Well, let's be going then," said his mother, clapping her hands together and rounding up her children. The group walked towards them, grabbed handfuls of Floo Powder that their transfiguration professor and offered them, and stood in a half circle around the fireplace. "Hermione would you like to go first? Is your parents hooked up to the network?"

"Yes, ma'am, thank you," said Hermione. She said her goodbyes to everyone and then walked over to where Ron and Harry were standing off to the side.

"I'm happy for you both," she whispered to them as she hugged them both at the same time. They smiled at her and then watched as their friend Flooed back home to her own family.

His father, Ginny, and the twins went next, each Flooing in pairs to their home. "Alright," said Ron's mother, turning to Ron and Harry. "It's your turn now."

It was then that Sirius approached Harry and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to stay behind with Remus and the rest of the Order and discuss some things," said Sirius, looking unsure of himself for some reason.

"That's fine," said Harry, trying to reassure his godfather.

"Are you sure?" Sirius asked, "Because I could-"

"Really, it's fine, Sirius," he said once more, looking earnest. It was clear that Sirius felt as though he were abandoning his godson after such a traumatic event, but Harry understood that there were important matters that had to be discussed after the attack.

"Alright, but I'll check on you soon," said Sirius. "Will you be okay?"

Harry rolled his eyes and nodded. Ron couldn't help but smirk. Sirius was getting the hang of this "parent" routine finally and it seemed to annoy Harry a bit, which was always amusing. He watched as the man embraced his godson tightly and kissed the top of his forehead.

"Stay out of trouble until I see you next, alright?" Sirius asked.

Harry nodded as his godfather returned to stand next to Remus once more. The pair of them stepped into the fireplace together and grabbed each other's arm for support. In unison, they threw down the silvery powder and shouted, "The Burrow!"

The sight that met them when they returned home was truly a surprise.

* * *

A/N: So what did you all think? I know I left another cliffie at the end again, but I swear it's not a major plot turner. Just a way to break up the chapters. Can anyone guess what they might have seen? Anyway… please review if you liked the chapter. I was surprised that I had received so few for the last chapter, especially considering how climatic it was.


	24. Lost and Found

A/N: Okay, so it's been another five months since I've updated. Sorry about that. But I do have good news. I've finally finished Shattered Illusions, and I wrote the final two chapters together. I should be posting the final chapter soon. These chapters were a bit of a pain to write. I had a bunch of loose ends that needed to be tied up, and I couldn't decide how I wanted it to all happen. As such I wrote the chapters out of order and had to reread them multiple times looking for continuity issues. There is a bit of a recap at the beginning of this chapter so hopefully you all won't have to reread the last couple of chapters to familiarize yourself with the story. Anyways, I hope you enjoy them both. Please review!

* * *

**Chapter 24- Lost and Found**

The ordeal that had happened in Diagon Alley yesterday afternoon had been nothing short of a nightmare. Ron had been truly terrified and for a while there it had seemed that none of them would make it out alive. In fact, he had almost lost his life. It was only by some miracle that he had even survived.

With everyone on the mend, they were finally returning home after the overnight stay in the Hogwarts Infirmary. Most of the family had already gone ahead of them and now it was their turn to use the Floo. Feeling bone tired and rather weary, even after a long night's rest, Ron waited quietly beside Harry while Sirius explained that he couldn't follow them back to the Burrow. Apparently he had important Order business to attend to because of the attack.

"Really, it's fine, Sirius," Harry said earnestly once more.

"Alright, but I'll check on you soon," said Sirius, looking quite apologetic. "Will you be okay?"

Harry rolled his eyes and nodded. Ron couldn't help but smirk. Sirius was getting the hang of this "parent" routine finally and it seemed to annoy Harry a bit, which was always amusing. He watched as the man embraced his godson tightly and kissed the top of his forehead.

"Stay out of trouble until I see you next, alright?" Sirius asked. Harry nodded as his godfather returned to stand next to Remus once more.

The pair of them stepped into the fireplace together and grabbed each other's arm for support. In unison, they threw down the silvery powder and shouted, "The Burrow!"

Green flames engulfed them both and they flew past many fireplace grates until they finally landed solidly. Both stumbled a bit, but they quickly righted themselves before breaking apart.

"_What are you doing here_?" Ron heard one of the twins harshly ask as he and Harry stepped out of the large hearth and into the kitchen of the Burrow.

There was no reply from whoever was standing just out of sight, and the silence seemed to irritate the twins even further.

"What's going on?" Harry whispered in confusion to Ron as they both began to brush the soot off their clothing.

"I don't know…" Ron muttered feeling quite perplexed himself.

His father, Ginny, and the twins were standing in a half circle in the entryway between the kitchen and living room. Each had their arms crossed over their chests, looking a little more than apprehensive. Ron peered around the corner past their unmoving forms and cursed aloud in surprise. Harry joined him and soon saw the cause for alarm. The lost son had returned.

Percy stood there silently surveying his family, his eyes filled with something that looked like a mixture of sadness and relief. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"Oy, I asked what are you doing here?" Fred said loudly.

Percy looked away, clearly looking uncomfortable and muttered, "I heard about the attack and that all of you had been there. I didn't know what to think. I tried fire calling, but no one was home. I tried St. Mungo's since that's where they were sending the injured, but couldn't find any of you…. where have you been?"

"Hogwarts," replied their father.

Percy nodded. "Oh… I didn't think to look there since school is out of session, so I came here hoping that-"

He was interrupted by the sound of the fireplace erupted into green flames once more. Soon their mum and Bill were stepping out of the hearth and into the kitchen to join them.

"What's going on?" asked their mum, noticing the odd assembly.

"See for yourself," said Ron curtly, pointing in the direction of the living room.

"What is it?" she asked once more, as she pushed her way past her family to see what the matter was about. "Percy!" she screamed in delight, as she flew across the room to embrace him in a hug.

"Hi mum," Percy replied, as he awkwardly patted their mother on the back in reassurance.

"You came home!" she declared, her eyes shining with merriment as she pulled back. "I was going to send you an owl letting you know everyone was alright, but it seems now I don't have to."

"Yes, well…" Percy said, clearing his throat uncomfortably, as he glanced at the rest of the family. He then began to straighten the ministry robes he was wearing, which had twisted a bit from the smothering hug he had received, for lack of anything better to do. The act, however, made him appear just as arrogant and full of himself as ever.

Ron couldn't fathom his mother's ease at forgiveness, and it seemed that the rest of the family couldn't either. The rest of them had not made a move towards welcoming Percy home yet, and each stood back with a look of disdain on their face, their arms crossed over their chest in trepidation.

Percy had moved out the day Ron, Ginny, and the twins had come home from Hogwarts. There had apparently been some sort of blow out between Percy and their parents over the "supposed" return of Voldemort. No one had seen him since, and they all assumed he had moved to a flat in London somewhere. They did get an occasional owl from him, but his letters were full of things that he overheard at the Ministry about how foolish Dumbledore was for believing Voldemort had returned. And he had bad mouthed Harry on more the one occasion, claiming that there something that wasn't right with him.

Glancing at the smaller teen beside him, Ron could almost feel the tension rolling off Harry in waves. He had informed Harry earlier this summer about the problems the family had with Percy, and he was undoubtedly feeling a little uneasy about the whole scenario. After all, until yesterday the only proof that Voldemort had returned was Harry's witness of what happened to him in the graveyard. Percy had believed it all to be a complete fabrication on Harry's part, despite the death of Cedric Diggory.

"Well, you're home now and that all that matters, right?" their mother asked, fawning over her lost son.

"All that matters? Mum, that git completely abandoned us?" argued George.

"Yeah," said Fred in agreement. "Have you completely forgotten the fact that he thought we were all a bunch of nutters for believing Harry? Well, You-Know-Who _is_ back, so who is the nutter now?"

"I probably deserve that," Percy muttered, looking away from their harsh glares.

"No you don't," replied his mum, shaking her head. "You just didn't understand is all…"

With that statement, the room erupted in a loud squabbling. Everyone was trying to get their two cents in, but no one really seemed to be listening to anyone else. When the noise became almost deafening, Bill finally shouted, "Enough! This isn't solving anything. Why don't we at least hear Percy out? Maybe he has a good explanation for turning his back on his family when we needed him most."

"Well said-" began George. "Though I don't think he could possibly have any excuse that's good enough."

"No, I say let's hear it," said Fred. "So Perfect Percy, why did you abandon us?"

"I.. I-I don't…" Percy tried, but the words got stuck in his mouth, and in the end he said noting at all.

"He doesn't have an excuse!" yelled Ron. "Other than being absolute arse all the time!"

His father turned to look at his son harshly. "Ronald, watch your language!"

Ginny snickered at him. "Why? It's true!"

Their mother stood there looking absolutely dumbfounded. "What's got into you all? This is your brother!" she shouted at them. "Can't anyone find it in their hearts to forgive him for his mistake? Arthur?''

Everyone's head turned to look at their father, and saw that he was shaking his head from side to side sadly. "I'm sorry, Molly. But I agree with the boys… Percy owes us all an apology," he said.

Everyone turned back to Percy. "Well?" said Bill.

There was a long silence as Percy seemed to gather his wits about him. He opened his mouth several times, but nothing seemed to come out. Frustrated by his lack of response, George shouted, "See! He can't even apologize to his own family! Why did you bother coming back here at all?"

"I just wanted to make sure everyone was alright…" Percy said sadly, finally turning to look at his family. "I see now that you are. I'll just be leaving…"

"No! Don't do that," their mother shrieked, grabbing Percy by the arm. "You just came back!"

Percy shook his head and tried to loosen his mother's grip. "Mum, I'm clearly not wanted here… it'll be easier if I leave…"

Ron watched as his brother began to walk past them to reach the fireplace so he could Floo out of there. The situation was sad, but somehow he couldn't find it in himself to stay and work things out with his estranged brother. He was just still too bitter about it all.

"Yeah, leave! That way you won't have to hear," said Fred, "about Ron almost dying or Harry being tortured."

"Or the fact that Mum and Dad were both badly hurt!" finished George.

"That's enough boys!" their father finally shouted, asserting his voice. "He didn't have any way of knowing."

That stopped Percy short. He turned back and saw that that they were all deadly serious. "Is that true?" he asked, looking to Ron.

Ron nodded, but looked away. He didn't want his brother's pity. Percy couldn't possibly understand what he had gone through and mock sympathy would only put salt in his still open wounds.

When Percy finally spoke, his voice was quiet and restrained "I didn't know… I could never forgive myself if…" Percy kept trying to say. "If anything had happened… I guess…what I'm trying to say was that… I was wrong… and I'm sorry for that..."

There was another long silence, no one really knowing how to respond. In the end, it was Bill who found the right words to say to ease the tension. "Your apology is accepted, but it may not be enough…"

Percy opened his mouth to protest, looking towards his mother for support, but she hung back watching the scene unfold.

Bill held up his hand and said, "Hear me out. You still have amends to make. What you did to this family is inexcusable, but people are entitled to make mistakes once in a while, and you clearly made one here. In the future, however, I think it would be wise to trust your own parents- people who fought in the last war and who know a thing or to about the dangers the Dark Lord brings- before you so readily believe the lies that some bureaucrat feeds you to placate your feeble mind. Trust in Dumbledore- a man who fought and defeated Grindewald and has tried repeatedly to thwart dark magic. Or better yet, trust in Harry Potter-"

At this comment, Harry bristled beside Ron upon hearing his name so unexpectedly.

"-who saved your own sister from the very man who nearly killed Ron yesterday. You've never had to face any of this, so think about that the next time you are so willing to turn your back against family and friends who have had experience with these sorts of things. Alright?"

Percy stood there for a moment with his mouth hanging open, looking quite flabbergasted. When he finally gained control of himself once more, he cleared his throat and whispered, "Alright."

"Alright then," finished their father. "I think it's time for everyone to cool off for a bit, and for your mother and me to talk to Percy here."

Feeling a little more than irritated, Ron stormed up the stairs to his bedroom, vaguely aware that Harry was following. He slammed open his door and flopped face down onto his bed, feeling tired and drained despite the fact it was only mid morning.

He heard Harry quietly close the door behind them and then cross the room to sit beside him on the bed. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly, resting his hand gently upon Ron's back.

"I guess so. I'm just still mad at him I suppose," Ron admitted, turning on his side so that he was now facing Harry.

Harry only nodded in reply. "How are you feeling?" he then asked.

"Fine. Still a bit tired, I suppose. And you?"

"About the same…"

"How about a bit of a lie in?" Ron suggested, moving over on the small twin bed to make room for Harry to lie down.

Harry looked to the doorway, looking a bit anxious. "Are you sure? I don't think-"

"Trust me, with all that's going on with Percy right now, no one is going to be bothering us for a while. Besides, we'll just take a quick kip. There's no way we'll sleep straight until lunch," he said. "C'mon… I know what you want to."

"Well, if you insist," said Harry, as he lay down beside him.

Ron wrapped his arms around Harry's torso, and bent his knees until it matched the curve of Harry's body, effectively spooning him.

"This is nice," Harry muttered sleepily.

"Mmm-hmmm…" agreed Ron, gently kissing the back of Harry's neck.

* * *

The pair blissfully fell asleep for a couple of hours together, and they probably would have slept even longer being as exhausted as they were had it not been for their mother sending one of Ron's siblings to fetch them for lunch. As soon as the door opened, Harry and Ron woke up. Unfortunately, they weren't fast enough to separate themselves before Ginny got an eyeful.

She quickly burst into laughter and said, "You should have seen yourselves all cuddled up together like a pair of lovebirds. I can't wait to tell the twins! How in the world did you end up in the same bed?"

Ron and Harry sat up nervously, looking to one another for guidance. For the life of him, Ron couldn't figure out if his sister already knew about them or not so he chose to say nothing at all.

"Ron, did you mistake Harry for your old teddy bear?" she asked teasingly.

"Er…" Ron tried, rubbing the back of his neck as he felt the heat of embarrassment beginning to creep up to his face. Harry on the other hand looked as pale as a ghost.

Still laughing, Ginny stepped into the bedroom. "Honestly, one would think you were boyfriends or something the way you were hanging onto each other. How embarrassing! You're lucky this didn't happen at school or your dorm mates might get the wrong idea…" her voice trailed off as she got a funny look on her face.

"_Uh-oh,"_ thought Ron. "_She obviously didn't know, and it's only going to take her another second to put it all together."_

"Wait a minute… _is_ there something going on here?" she asked. "That would be completely ridiculous, right?"

Ron looked to Harry, who could only shrug at him with wide green eyes. "Or not…" Ron began, feeling rather foolish.

"What does that mean?" she shrieked with indignation.

"Just that… maybe it's not so ridiculous," Ron said, but it sounded more like he was asking a question. He felt uncomfortably hot right now, and he was sure that his face was blushed a dark shade of crimson by now.

Ginny shook her head as if she were trying to clear it. "You don't mean what I think you mean, do you?"

Ron shrugged uncomfortably, and this only added to Ginny's frustration. She finally looked to Harry and said, "Are you two together?"

Harry nodded his head almost imperceptibly in response.

At this Ginny finally blew up. She made an almost inhuman shriek and grabbed the nearest thing to her, which was oddly enough a small desk chair, and threw it straight at Ron. "How could you!" she yelled, before storming out of the room and running down the stairs. Thankfully Ron was able to catch the chair in anticipation before it could do any bodily harm to him or Harry and tossed it aside onto the floor between the two beds.

"That went well," Harry muttered, as they listened to the sound of the front door slamming shut downstairs.

Ron sighed loudly and stood up. "We should probably head down to the kitchen and warn my Mum," he said.

Harry nodded and followed him down. Most of the family was trying to figure out what had set Ginny off and if they should go after her or not. Most agreed that with her hot temper it was better if she were left alone for a bit. Ron and Harry quickly pulled his mother aside and asked if they could speak with her privately. Although it was embarrassing, they quietly explained what had occurred to make Ginny so upset.

"Oh dear," said his mother, clucking her tongue in disapproval. "Well, she was bound to find out eventually. Better now than when she returned to school, I suppose. I just wish you could have told her yourself, instead of her finding out like that."

"Wouldn't have mattered," Ron said, and he noticed his mother nod in agreement.

Lunch was a quiet affair, compared to the angry outburst this morning. Everyone seemed much more subdued. His mother had finally sent her letter off to Charlie, hoping that the owl would reach him first before any news of the attack. It was highly unlikely, however, considering it had been all over the newspapers that morning.

By dinner time that evening, Charlie had already arranged it so that he could come home and visit his family for at least a night or two, realizing how close he had come to losing them all. He had surprised them all by Apparating just outside the wards surrounding the Burrow and showing up on the front door step. Unlike, Percy's reunion, Charlie was greeted with eager enthusiasm. Working with dangerous dragons in Romania, didn't leave much time for him to come home for visits.

Still worried after all their assurances, he pumped everyone for answers about the attack. When he was finally satisfied, Charlie made sure he spent time with each one of them that evening, trying to make up for lost time before he had to leave again. Surprisingly, he was rather congenial towards Percy and the two got on well for the first time. Ron had been somewhat upset that Charlie hadn't showed Percy the cold shoulder everyone else seemed to be giving him. Charlie hadn't been here to witness his brother's betrayal, so he supposed that maybe it was easier for him to forgive.

Ginny had eventually come back on her own after her little outburst, but was currently avoiding them all by staying in her bedroom. She refused to come out, even for dinner, but she did allow Charlie and Bill (her favorites) to come visit her. Ron suspected that she had told them both about his relationship with Harry, but it surprisingly didn't bother him in the least.

Sirius had come back to check on Harry as well, as he had promised. He monopolized Harry for most of the evening and seemed reluctant to leave Harry's side, but finally agreed when it began to get late that it was time for him to return home to London.

All in all, it was a quiet evening, which was a welcomed relief after such an eventful day before. But despite the warm fire, and his family all around him, Ron couldn't help but feel chilled.

If he was honest with himself, he was scared of the unknown. Now that everyone knew that Voldemort had truly returned, what would happen next? He had barely escaped Voldemort's clutches with his life, and that knowledge had left its mark on Ron. He had grown up more in the last two days in than all of his time at Hogwarts, and it saddened him to know that this was only the beginning.

Harry seemed to understand the tension he was feeling, and Ron knew he was experiencing the same gnawing worry. They quietly played chess, speaking very little, but relishing the comfort the small act seem to give them.

Ron could sense that the rest of the family felt it as well, but they were much more determined to make the most of this impromptu family reunion… to savor it while it lasted. Who could begrudge them this moment of peace with the impending war looming ever closer to home?

* * *

Only a few days had passed since the family had returned home from the hospital wing and Hogwarts, and things were finally getting back to normal for Molly. Well, as normal as things could get with such a large family.

Charlie had gone back to Romania, and Percy and Bill had gone back to London. Percy had his own flat there, where as Billy was staying at the Order's headquarters until he found a place of his own. Molly understood the reason why her eldest children needed to eventually leave again after they had come for a visit, but it never took away the emptiness that she felt in her heart whenever they left her little nest.

Her dear, sweet Ginny still seemed no closer to accepting Harry and Ron's relationship than before and it pained Molly's heart that she was so heartbroken over the matter. She was still bitter and hurt that the object of her affection had chosen her brother over her. Molly knew that broken hearts took time to mend, and that she would come around eventually. For now, however, Ginny seemed intent on still avoiding everyone by keeping to her bedroom. Thankfully, she did finally grace them with her presence at meals.

Ron and Harry seemed to faring well after their ordeal and no longer showed signs of fatigue, which apparently always manifested itself after being submitted to the torture curse. The only signs that anything happened at all, was the nightmares that plagued both boys every night. Neither of them had mentioned that they had trouble sleeping, and were probably unaware that their screams had woken up the entire house that first night until she made Arthur put up privacy charms around Ron's room. Since then, she had been offering them cups of her special tea every evening, knowing that although it wouldn't stop their awful dreams completely, it would at least help them sleep more restfully.

She wasn't a big believer in Dreamless Sleep potions. Putting aside its possibly addictive qualities, it robbed the subconscious of the only way of sorting through all the emotions and memories tied to unfortunate events. As awful as it seemed, the boys' nightmares would eventually help their minds come to peace with what had happened to them, as much as it pained her to see them suffer.

The only foreseeable bump in the road was the two trials that Harry's uncle was facing this week. After much deliberation it was decided that there was sufficient evidence that Vernon Dursley was likely to be found guilty for both charges and that it was unnecessary for any of the Order members to attend the trials, especially in the aftermath of the attack on Diagon Alley. Their attention needed to be focused on thwarting attempts from Voldemort to gain control of Britain, should any emergencies arise. But it was decided that Arthur, Sirius, and some others would be allowed attend the sentencing should Dursley be found guilty, if only to inform Harry what would become of his uncle.

Though she was sure that Harry was concerned about what was happening to his former family, he did not outwardly show any signs that any of it was bothering him. In fact, he seemed to be doing well despite everything that had happened.

Yes, everything seemed to be going back to normal. That was until the morning paper arrived and signaled a coming change in their peaceful little abode.

Harry and the family were gathered around the breakfast table, planning their day and munching happily on their eggs and bacon. Molly busied herself with tidying up the kitchen and watching over the last serving of scrambled eggs as they cooked in the pan.

Arthur had just gotten the Daily Prophet from a delivery owl and was about to read the paper over a cup of coffee. He unfolded the rolled paper so that he was staring at the front page and neatly laid it on the table. He took a sip of his coffee as he looked over the contents and promptly spit out the caffeine-filled liquid in shock.

"Aw, dad!" complained Ron, as he wiped at the coffee colored spittle dripping from the side of his cheek. Harry discreetly did the same from the other side of the table. "That's disgusting!"

"Sorry about that," said Arthur, quickly wiping up the mess with his napkin, as he continued to read the paper. He looked quite perturbed about whatever it was he was reading.

"And Mum says our table manners are atrocious," commented George to his twin, who was snickering.

Sensing that something was amiss, Molly peered over her husband's shoulder and said, "What is it, dear?"

Arthur merely pointed at the article he was reading, refusing to stop to answer her. Glancing at the article, Molly gasped in shocked. There on the front page was a picture of a man's decapitated head speared onto an iron post, dripping with blood. His unseeing eyes stared out at her and she could just make out the man's body, clothed in Death Eaters' robes, lying in the background. The Dark Mark hovered overhead the cemetery he had been displayed in, signaling that this was the work of Voldemort.

"Is that who I think it is?" asked Molly, recognizing the face from pictures she had seen.

"Just read the article," said her husband, sitting back now that he had finished it himself.

"Mum, what's going on?" asked Ginny worriedly.

Molly chose to ignore her daughter's question until she had more answers. She grabbed the paper from the table as her children began to rise from their seats to see what was going on. She then moved to the corner of the kitchen, still ignoring their pleas to know what she was so upset about. Quietly she read.

_**Peter Pettigrew Found Dead 14 Years Later**_

_Yesterday evening, a cemetery caretaker in Herefordshire, England, found the remains of Peter Pettigrew in Long Oak Memorial Cemetery. The man's head had been dismembered from his body and shoved onto an iron spike, taken from the cemetery's surrounding fence. The ominous Dark Mark looming overhead in the sky (as seen in the picture) signals that this murder could only be the work of You-Know-Who and his followers._

_As our readers surely remember, Peter Pettigrew was thought to have been murdered by Sirius Black 14 years earlier. Black was said to have confronted Pettigrew on a crowded Muggle Street, before blowing up the man and 12 Muggles with him. All that was left of Pettigrew was a finger. Black was taken immediately to Azkaban without a trial because of the numerous witnesses. He escaped last year and is currently still at large._

_It should also be noted that Black was friends with James and Lily Potter, parents of Harry Potter, and is believed to be the one that betrayed the Potters to You-Know-Who. He was allegedly responsible for their downfall and for the fateful encounter between He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and young Harry Potter on that Halloween night so many years ago. One cannot forget how he had pleaded his innocence over and over again as he was led away in shackles. Could it be that Sirius Black was innocent all along?_

_It seems that there is more to Peter Pettigrew than one might imagine. First, it appears that he may have actually been hiding all this time. Either he survived the attack Sirius Black made against him or he somehow faked his own death, for reasons only this dead man could have understood. Secondly, it appears that he may have been working for the Dark Lord all along, which would support Sirius Black's claim to innocence. The evidence supporting this was that body found nearby the decapitated head was covered in Death Eaters' robes. And finally, what could have prompted this heinous crime against him. If he was a loyal follower of Voldemort, why was he was murdered and mutilated in such an unforgivable way. What message is You-Know-Who trying to send? That even his loyal followers are subject to his wrath?_

_We are left with only more questions than answers…_

Her children were now all standing around the kitchen table, looking anxious for answers. They had repeatedly tried to ask their father what had happened to no avail and were currently looking to her for some kind of understanding. But how could a mother reveal something horrific like this to them, no matter how old they were?

Molly took one last glance at the haunting figure staring up at her and shook her in disgust. What kind of monster could do such a thing? She was about to toss the paper aside when she was struck with a sudden realization.

"Arthur, do you know what this could mean?" she asked.

He looked over to her and nodded slowly. He then subconsciously glanced at Harry, who looked somewhat startled. Ron, Ginny, and the twins, look to Harry and the back at their parents fearing the worst.

Harry swallowed thickly, and asked, "What's happened?"

"We should discuss this first with Dumbledore," Molly said quickly, looking to her husband for support. Harry had seen enough in his short life, and she didn't want to get his hopes up about something like this.

"He needs to know," Arthur replied firmly.

"Can it just wait until-"

"What's happened?" Harry asked again, a bit too loudly.

Molly sighed, folded the paper underneath her arm so that her children wouldn't see it, and stepped forward to take the young boy by the shoulders. "A body has been found…." she began.

Harry's green eyes shined with worry, and he closed them tightly as he asked, "Who?" he asked, his voice thick with emotion.

"Oh… I'm sorry dear. I didn't mean to worry you like that," she said, taking his face in her hands so that he would look up at her. "It wasn't someone from our side…"

"Then who?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Peter Pettigrew…" she said, as she drew back from him.

Harry sucked in his breath in amazement, and his eyes sought out Ron's in realization. "But that could mean… Sirius could be… They'll know he's innocent!" he said excitedly. "This is great news!"

Molly didn't know about that. This could really complicate things greatly. Sirius could get himself in even more trouble if he weren't careful, and she hated to think what this might to do Harry after all he has been through this summer.

Arthur cleared his throat and spoke up. "Yes, well… things need to be handled delicately. I'm going to head over to the Order's headquarters before work and make sure they all know what has happened…. Though I'm sure they know already."

"But they will find Sirius innocent, won't they?" Harry asked hopefully.

Arthur looked down at the boy, but refused to confirm anything. "I'll keep you posted about what I find out. Promise me that you boys will stay here at the Burrow."

Ron and Harry nodded, looking confused as to why he would make such a request.

"You both have a knack for finding trouble. If this thing goes sour, I don't want you anywhere near Sirius right now, okay?" he asked.

They both nodded again still quite perplexed. Arthur then looked to the twins, who sighed dramatically but nodded as well. He turned toward the Floo and grabbed some powder.

Ginny grumpily folded her arms over her chest and replied, "Don't worry. I'll stay out of trouble too."

Arthur smiled at her and said, "I know you will sweet pea," to which Ginny harrumphed and stormed out of the room.

"Arthur…" Molly began, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll call soon as I know something, alright?"

She nodded and leaned in for a kiss. Her boys all complained about the display and went their separate ways so that they didn't have to see anymore. All that was left was Harry, who had plopped himself down into his chair again. Together they watched Arthur disappear in the green flames as he Flooed to headquarters.

Molly sat down beside the small boy and put her arm around his shoulders. "Try not to worry," she said. "I'm sure it will all turn out for the best."

Harry nodded and silently leaned against her. She knew in her heart that Harry hoped that his godfather would be declared innocent, and that he probably wished to live with him. And as much as she wanted him to have a family of his own, he had become part of hers and she didn't necessarily want to give him up. How could a man with such questionable mental health and moral fiber ever be good enough as a parent? Harry needed stability and love, and she wasn't sure if Sirius Black would ever be up to the task.

* * *

Arthur had fire called a few times during the day to keep her informed as to what was going on and to let her know that he'd be late. Apparently the Order had already heard of what had happened to Pettigrew the evening before and Sirius had rashly taken it upon himself to turn himself in to the Ministry of Magic. Arthur, and several other Order members, had been sitting in the courtroom all evening hearing testimony for and against Sirius during an impromptu trial in response to this abrupt turn of events.

Molly had stayed up knitting, as she often did, hoping that Arthur would return home before she headed up to bed herself. He inevitably returned late that evening well after the children had gone up to bed. She set aside the sweater she was working on, anxious to hear whatever news he was bringing.

"Well, it's done," he said, flopping down onto the sofa beside her, looking quite weary.

Molly looked him over, trying to determine if things had gone well or not. She couldn't decide based on the tiredness on his face. "What has been decided?"

"Sirius has been cleared of all charges," Arthur replied with a slight smile on his face. "The courtroom finally allowed Sirius to give his testimony, though he _was_ forced to take Veritaserum. Fortunately Dumbledore was careful to steer any questions away from Order business or Harry until he was given the antidote. The court was unable to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Sirius had killed anyone. It probably helped that Pettigrew bore the Dark Mark and Sirius does not."

"Oh," she said, turning away from her husband to stare out the window.

"Aren't you happy for him?" he asked in surprise.

"I suppose," she said. "I just want to know how this affects Harry…"

"Yes, well there is that too," he said, rubbing tiredly at his face.

"What do you mean?"

Arthur sighed as he turned to look at her. "The trial hearing somehow segued into a custody hearing after Sirius was declared innocent. It got messy there for a while…"

"Messy how?" she asked, feeling alarmed.

"Technically, Sirius is Harry's godfather and should have taken custody of the boy had he not been taken to prison. Of course, as you know, he was taken to the Dursleys instead," he began, his voice tight with frustration. "Some argued that he should be with Sirius, others felt that it was important that he be returned to the Dursleys…"

"Oh no…" Molly gasped. "So what happened?"

"Dumbledore was forced to reveal that Vernon Dursley was currently standing trial for drunk driving and may be sentenced to prison by the Muggles."

"He didn't reveal anything else, did he?"

"No, of course not. But he did say that Petunia had left with her son after she learned what Vernon had done and could not be reached. The Ministry now believes that Harry was abandoned and that was why we took him in," Arthur explained. "They don't know that Harry was involved in the car accident."

"So will they allow us to keep him?" Molly asked, fearful of the answer. She held out hope, but in her heart she already knew what her husband was going to say.

Arthur shook his head. "I'm afraid not."

"So what will happen to him?" she asked.

"Well at one point, the Ministry had decided that it would be Harry's best interest- in light of recent events- to become a ward of the court…"

"NO!"

"Don't worry. Dumbledore would never allow that," Arthur quickly said. "Besides, it seems that the old man already had something in the works."

"What do you mean?"

"Before all of this happened, he was investigating a loop hole in the system that would allow custody of Harry to be given to Remus. He was next in line as Harry's godfather, and since he currently resides at Headquarters, Harry could have been with Sirius as well…"

"What? How could he! Why didn't Dumbledore tell us any of this?" Molly argued. "We have paperwork stating that we're Harry's guardians!"

"Honey, that was a fabrication that was created for the Muggles. You knew that would never hold up in our world."

"But still…" she said sadly.

"I know," said Arthur. "I love him too."

"So Remus was awarded custody?" she inquired, trying to wrap her brain on this new development and what this would mean for Harry.

"No. Sirius was."

"What? I thought you said-:"

Arthur sighed. "I said that was Dumbledore's plan before all of this happened. After much deliberation the court officially awarded custody to Sirius."

"But he's not fit to be a parent!"

"You can't say that…"

"Yes, I can. He's impulsive and rash and reckless-"

"Those all mean the same thing," Arthur pointed out.

"I don't care!" Molly said tearfully. "He can't possibly know how to comfort him when he has nightmares at night or know that when Harry's quiet that means he's upset about something or…"

"Molly, I'm sure he'll be fine," he tired to reassure her.

"You don't know that," she said, crying now.

Arthur wrapped his arms around his wife. "Molly Lou, your acting like an overprotective mother bear…"

"I can't help it. Harry's still so fragile," Molly sniffled miserably.

"I wouldn't let Harry hear you call him that."

"But what if Sirius forgets to give Harry his nutritional potions? You know he is still recuperating. He needs to be given a strict diet," she argued.

"That diet is no longer necessary and you know it. He'll continue taking the potions, but you know that he can eat almost anything now. Besides, Harry knows how to take care of himself," he said.

"But he shouldn't have to. He's never really had anyone to look after him, and I-"

"Molly. We'll always be apart of his life. You're not losing him completely," he countered.

"I know… it's just-"

"I know."

They sat quietly for a few moments, emotionally wrestling with this new development as they held onto one another. Finally, Arthur spoke up once more. "Maybe it's better this way."

"What do you mean?" she asked curiously.

Arthur sighed and seemed to weigh his words. "We've always struggled financially-"

"We are perfectly capable of providing for him!" she almost yelled, indignant that her husband would suggest otherwise.

"I know that, but not the way that Sirius can. And Harry is aware of this. He tries to make up for the burden of us taking care of him."

"He is a not a burden!"

"Of course he isn't, but he's always going to feel that way with us."

Molly pushed back from her husband, appalled that he would suggest such a thing. "Arthur, I cannot believe you. We have never made him feel-"

Her husband covered her mouth with his hand to stop her tirade. "Molly, Harry felt it necessary to put a large sum of money on our account at Flourish and Blotts in order to repay us for our kindness," he whispered softly.

"He did what?" she asked in amazement. "Why?"

"For exactly the reason I said before. He feels like he owes us."

"But he doesn't. He's always welcome here," said Molly. "What are we going to do?"

"Don't worry, we'll pay him back… but don't you see. No matter how much we love Harry and try to provide for him, he knows that we are poor and we will probably always be poor."

"Arthur, we're not poor-" Molly tried to argue, tearful once more.

"Hush," Arthur shushed her. "You know its true, even if we never admit it out loud. Our kids wear hand-me downs and we buy second hand school supplies. It's not hard to figure out. Harry will always feel like he needs to help us out if he continues to live here. And I don't want that, do you?"

Molly finally relented. "I suppose not…" she whispered.

"I promise you that things will work out with Sirius and Harry, and if they don't… Harry will always have a home with us," said Arthur.

Molly smiled as she looked up into her adoring husband's eyes. "You're right."

"I know."

She sighed as she began to think more about the situation. "And I suppose that this is better for Harry and Ron anyway…"

Arthur's brows furrowed in confusion. "How do you mean?"

"Oh nothing…" she said wistfully. "When will Harry know?"

"Tomorrow morning… Sirius insisted on telling Harry himself," he replied.

Molly nodded and leaned against her husband, feeling tired now at the late hour. "It's late. Let's go up to bed."

Arthur stood up and pulled her up beside him. "After you, Molly Lou," he said.

And the pair quietly went up the stairs and into their bedroom, weary after a long day.

* * *

After waiting nearly all day to find some sort of answer about what was going to happen to Sirius, Harry had finally fallen into an exhausted sleep late that night. Instead of nightmares about the attack in Diagon Alley or of the accident, which he still frequently had, Harry dreamt of his godfather being led back to Azkaban in chains screaming his innocence to anyone that might listen. The scene was shadowy and ominous. Dementors loomed in the distance just waiting for the chance to feed off of Sirius's misery.

So caught up in the gloom of his dreams, Harry was surprised to awaken to an immense bright light. Blinking blearily, he realized that the morning sun was streaming through Ron's open window, hitting him in the face with all of its cheeriness.

Harry sat up bed and glanced over at Ron, who was still snoring lightly over in his bed. After being caught in such a compromising position by Ginny, the pair had decided that it was probably best that they slept separately, even though they tended to get a better night's rest in the comfort of each other's arms.

Yawning and stretching his arms overhead to get out the kinks. Harry slowly rose from the bed, ready to the start the day and learn what had become of Sirius, no matter the consequences. Grabbing his glasses from the night stand, he stepped over to the window, relishing the fresh breeze on his face and had to admit, despite the uneasy knot that was in the pit of his stomach, it was a beautiful day. He'd hate for it to be wrecked by some awful news of Sirius still being found guilty or something.

Looking at the surrounding woods, Harry could just barely make out a black figure moving in the distance. His whole body tensed, assuming the worst, and he almost grabbed his wand in defense. But then he squinted a bit more and he realized that it was large animal of some kind. A large black animal that looked suspiciously like a Grim.

A grin spread across Harry's face as he shouted, "Sirius!"

Completely startled, Ron sat straight up in bed in a daze, and said, "Huh? Whuh?"

"Sirius," Harry repeated, ignoring the confused look on Ron's face.

Unable to wait long enough to get dressed properly, Harry dashed from the room barefooted and still clad in his pajamas. He bounded down the stairs quickly and almost ran into Mrs. Weasley in all of his excitement.

"Whoa! Slow down!" she replied, grabbing onto Harry's shoulders before he could plow into her. "What's with the rush?"

"Sirius is here!" Harry shouted excitedly, pointing past her towards the yard.

"Oh," she said, pressing her lips firmly together. "Well, I suppose you should be going then."

Harry quickly darted past her and threw open the front door. By now Sirius was already a good hundred yards away from him. He descended the lopsided wooden steps and stepped out onto the lawn, awaiting his godfather's arrival.

The large black dog continued in a bee line straight toward Harry. Upon reaching him, the dog tackled him to the ground and began to lick his face and hands affectionately.

"Ew… Sirius…stop it…" Harry said, trying to push the enormous dog away. "You know I hate it when you do that."

The scene was very reminiscent of their reunion shortly before Harry's birthday. Fortunately, Sirius crawled off him and quickly changed into his human form.

"Sorry about that. I get a little caught up in the moment and forget myself," Sirius explained, reaching out a hand to help Harry up.

"I can see that," he replied, still wiping the spittle from his face and hands with the sleeve of his pajama. Harry wondered if Sirius didn't enjoy being a canine a little more than he let on. "So, what happened?"

"Harry my boy… you are looking at a FREE MAN!" Sirius shouted while dancing in a circle.

"You've been acquitted?" Harry asked excitedly, remembering the legal term.

"Not guilty on lack of proof beyond a reasonable doubt," he said proudly, taking a bow.

"That's wonderful!" Harry exclaimed, launching himself at his godfather and hugging him tightly.

Sirius embraced him back, squeezing him fiercely as he began to turn around in a circle several times, before setting him back down. Both were feeling a little dizzy so they plopped down onto the front step of the Burrow, out of breath and deliriously happy.

"Harry, do you know what this means?" Sirius asked breathlessly.

Harry shook his head. "What?"

"This means that you can come live with me finally," he replied.

Shocked more by this news than anything else, Harry could only reply, "What?"

"I know I promised you before and was unable to make good on that promise… but I want you to come to live with me now… that is if you still want to," said Sirius, finally sensing Harry's uneasiness.

"What about the Ministry?" asked Harry, feeling wary of this new situation.

Sirius smiled. "They can't protest it… in fact, they awarded me custody."

"Custody?"

"Yes, I'm your legal guardian now. I would have been when you were a baby had I not been taken to prison. I will never forgive myself for what happened to you in the Dursleys care as a result… but I want to do right by you now," he explained, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees staring into the woods beyond.

Unable to process everything that had happened so quickly, Harry did the same. When he finally found his voice once more he asked, "But I thought the Weasleys were my guardians?"

Sirius looked down at him and replied, "Only in the Muggle world did it appear that way. That document was only a way to get you out of the hospital without complications. You knew that your guardianship was still to be handled by Dumbledore, didn't you?"

Harry shrugged. "I guess so. I never gave it much thought…"

"What's wrong? Would you rather live with the Weasleys?" Sirius asked, looking somewhat hurt.

"No… well, I mean they're great and all… but that's not it…" Harry fumbled.

Sirius looked into his eyes searchingly. "Then what is it? Is it me?"

"NO! I-I mean… you're g-great too… it's just Ron…" Harry slipped. He felt his face color with embarrassment, realizing what he had almost said, and didn't know what to say to fix it.

Sirius nodded and leaned back against the porch. "I think I get it," he said softly.

"You do?" Harry asked in surprise.

"You care a lot about him… and are worried you won't see him anymore if you come to live with me…" Sirius offered.

Harry nodded mutely; dumbfounded that Sirius could be so intuitive.

"Do you love him?" he asked.

Harry opened and closed his mouth unable to reply. Of course he loved Ron-more than life itself- but he wasn't good at saying things like that. Instead he nodded and watched as a smile spread across Sirius's face. When it was clear that Sirius wasn't going to say anything else, Harry softly asked, "How did you know?"

"I guess it was your reaction when you thought Ron had died. It didn't realize until now what that meant," he explained.

Harry felt a lump rise in his throat at the memory. He still had nightmares about Ron dying.

"But Harry… living with me doesn't me you have to give up Ron or any of your other friends. You can see them any time you want," said Sirius.

"Really?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't you? They're just a Floo away…"

Harry tried to swallow the lump. "I was never allowed before-"

"Stop right there," Sirius said almost angrily. "I am not your uncle and you will not live by those same rules anymore. Do you understand?"

Harry nodded. "So I can come here or Ron can come to your place any time we want?"

"Absolutely. And it's not my place. It's _our home_," Sirius clarified.

"Our home… I like that…"

"Me too… so it's settled. You're moving in?"

Harry nodded, smiling now at the prospect of moving in with his godfather. They quietly discussed all the arrangements and they decided that Harry should have one last night at the Burrow and that he would move to London in the morning. They also discussed what room he might like and how it should be decorated, making Harry feel a little more uncomfortable. He had never had to deal with things like that before and he wasn't sure how to handle it.

After a while, when the sun was almost overhead, Harry found his stomach was starting to grumble with hunger.

"Perhaps you should go in and eat something," Sirius suggested. "We can talk more a little later."

"I suppose I should."

"And perhaps put on some clothes."

Harry glanced down at his pajamas, realizing he looked pretty ridiculous right now. Laughing he nodded in agreement and stood up. He put one foot on the step and then hesitated. Knowing that he had to ask Sirius one more thing before he left he turned around and said, "Sirius…"

"Yes," his godfather asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I just have one more question," said Harry. "Something that's been bothering me."

"Go ahead."

"Why do you think Wormtail was murdered like that?" Harry asked.

"What brought this on?"

Harry sighed and then began. "I stole a look at the newspaper, even though Mrs. Weasley tried to hide it from us, and I can't get his face out of my head. Why was he murdered by Voldemort if he was working for him?"

"I've wondered that myself," Sirius admitted. "We may never know."

"Well, do you think it was because he helped Ron by leaving that amulet behind?"

"I've considered that too. I explained before that he owed you a Wizard's debt," he said. "Maybe he chose that moment to repay that debt. Whatever the reasons for doing so, we can't feel responsible if there were consequences of his actions."

"But somehow I do," said Harry, trying to explain the gnawing guilt he felt inside. "I hate him for what he did to you and my parents, but for some reason his death bothers me."

Sirius smiled and said, "And that's what makes you such an amazing person, Harry…. But enough of this. Go inside already and spread the good news!" He gave Harry a gentle push as he turned to leave.

"What about you? Where are you going?"

"To do battle with the Noble House of Black," said Sirius playfully acting like he was a knight.

"Huh?" asked Harry as he watched his godfather pretend to spear his imaginary opponent.

"I'm going to go try to make my mother's gloomy abode more habitable for a teenager," he explained, dropping the invisible sword act and pretending dust with a feather duster instead..

"Well, have fun with that," said Harry teasingly, remembering how awful that place really was. Somehow the thought of moving into something that resembled a haunted mansion didn't make him any less excited. "I'll see you tomorrow morning?"

"Bright and early."

Harry smiled and turned back to the house, wondering if the Weasleys would be disappointed that he was leaving. Not surprisingly, Harry didn't have to explain a thing. Almost the entire family had listened to their conversation just outside the house. Apparently the walls were thinner here than he thought.

Everyone was very positive, including Ron. Harry had expected a fight or something from him, but in the end Ron expressed how happy he was that Harry had a home and family of his own. The pair also knew that it was only another week until school started and they would be together then anyway.

Harry spent the afternoon packing his trunk, which didn't take very long, and playing games of chess with Ron up in his room. Still weary from the battle, neither one of them felt like going for a fly on their brooms and was content to cuddle for most of the afternoon, knowing that after tomorrow they would be separated.

It was during their last match that Ron suddenly voiced, "I think we should tell my dad about us."

Harry looked up at him feeling completely bewildered. He was about to refute the idea when he realized how serious Ron was. "Right now?"

Ron nodded. "I've been giving it a lot of thought and if I don't do it now, I never will."

He stood up and crossed his room and began heading down the stairs. Puzzled by his friend's sudden burst of courage, Harry followed.

"Are you sure about this?" whispered Harry.

"Of course. My father is the only one that doesn't know by now. Don't you think I should tell him?" answered Ron quietly, looking back up at him as they descended the numerous stairs.

"Well, yes, but…"

"But what?" asked Ron, pausing on the first landing.

"Nothing, I suppose. Just nervous is all," said Harry with the shrug.

"Why what's the worst that could happen?" asked Ron. "If he kicks you out, it doesn't really matter. You are going to go live with Sirius anyway."

"I know… but this is important. What if he hates me?"

"How could he possibly hate you when you are so loveable," said Ron, playfully mussing up Harry's hair and placing a chaste kiss on his lips. "C'mon. It's now or never."

"Alright," said Harry, following Ron down the stairs to the living room. They found Mr. Weasley sitting in the corner reading a book. Thankfully no one else was in the house right now and were enjoying the beautiful summer day.

"Hello boys. What are you up to?" asked Ron's father, when they entered the room.

"Nothing much. Just thought we come down for a chat," Ron began, taking a few steps forward into the room. Harry followed close behind, not sure what he was supposed to say.

"Oh," said his father, sounding surprised. "Well, then how are you boys doing?"

Ron looked to Harry for reassurance and then back at his father. "Okay, I guess. A lot has happened this summer."

"Don't I know it," he muttered. "You boys have gotten quite close this summer because of it all, haven't you?"

"I suppose so," replied Ron. "Closer than friends."

Mr. Weasley nodded, and to this Ron raised an eyebrow. Harry couldn't help but wonder if Mrs. Weasley had already mentioned their relationship to him, though she had promised she wouldn't.

"Practically brothers, aren't you?" Mr. Weasley asked with a smile.

Harry mentally cringed. The last thing he wanted to think of Ron as was his brother. It seemed Mr. Weasley couldn't be farther from the truth.

"Not quite," said Ron quickly, digging his hands in his pockets and looking quite uncomfortable.

"Oh," said his father, looking a bit disappointed. "I've always thought of Harry as family."

"Yeah, well…" said Ron. He was failing miserably in outing their relationship in Harry's opinion.

There was uncomfortable silence after that and no one seemed to know what to say. In the end, Mr. Weasley cleared his throat and asked, "Was there something you wanted to ask me or something? You said you wanted to chat."

Ron sighed and said, "I guess not."

"Alright, then," said his father, turning back to the book he was reading.

Ron turned quickly and left the living room and went out the front door. Harry, feeling rather foolish only standing there and not saying anything, quickly followed after him. Ron marched straight towards the old oak tree that was in the center of the yard and plunked down in front of it. He then leaned back and closed his eyes.

"That went well," commented Harry, sitting down beside his boyfriend. He pulled up his knees and wrapped his arms around them. "What happened to telling your dad?"

"I chickened out, okay?" said Ron, opening his eyes and turning to look at him. "Everyone just sort of figured it out without us having to say anything. I thought my dad might do the same. It felt like a good idea at the time. It seems like he's a lot thicker than I thought."

"That's not very nice, Ron. How is he supposed to know that you're trying to confess that you're gay?" asked Harry.

Ron cringed at his remark.

"What?" asked Harry, wondering what he had said wrong.

"I just hate that word," replied Ron.

"What? Gay?"

Ron only nodded.

"I guess I know what you mean," said Harry.

And truthfully he did. He didn't like the label anymore than Ron did. Regardless of what they called each other, Harry and Ron knew they were undeniably in love. They enjoyed their last summer evening together as a couple, unbidden by the labels of the outside world, and pledged that no matter what happened to them in the coming years that they would always remain together.

* * *

A/N: So what did you think? I know you were all curious about Harry's guardianship earlier in the story. With my infrequent updates, I wonder if you had all forgotten that it was still pending. Did you like that custody was given to Sirius? Sorry about the minor cliffhanger in the last chapter. A couple of you correctly guessed that it would be Percy. His character never sat well with me in canon, and it seemed likely that after what I put the family through that he would return.

A/N2: I was nominated for the **Quibbler Awards** again, this time for **Round Two**. I wanted to let you all know so that you could vote, but I didn't get the chapter back from my beta in time. I was up for _Best Slash and Best Chemistry_ for Shattered Illusions. Thank you to all of you who review and may have voted. It's always nice to know that all my efforts haven't been in vain.


	25. Justice

A/N: Yeah… I know. I promised to update back in February and its two months later. Sorry about that. I did have this chapter done, but I wasn't happy with it. I ended up changing a few things here and there until I felt better about it. It's still not great, but I guess it will do. Just as a reminder- Harry is living with Sirius now.

* * *

**Chapter 25- Justice**

"Stupid little buggers," Ron grunted.

He flung the last of the garden gnomes over his shoulder, sailing the mettlesome creature past the garden hedge and into the field beyond. His success hadn't come without consequences, however, and he cursed his mother for assigning him the task. He had been bitten once again. Examining the side of his right hand he saw a half moon shaped teeth marks marring his skin. It was throbbing painfully now. Those knobby headed gnomes could deliver quite a bite when they wanted too.

Frustrated and incredibly hot from the summer heat, Ron turned towards the house to get patched up by his mom. He had only taken a few steps when he found Ginny standing directly in his path. The stony silence his little sister had regarded him with had lasted a little more than a week. He had almost resolved himself to the fact that she may never speak to him again, when he heard her murmur one small word.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," he replied, barely looking at her.

Ron was still irritated over the way she reacted when she found out about his relationship with Harry. Sure, she probably had the right to be upset, but that didn't excuse how horrible she had been to them both.

When she said nothing more, Ron made a move to walk around her, only to have her step sideways directly into his path again. "Is there something you wanted?"

"I wanted to say I'm sorry…" she said sharply, looking a bit irritable herself.

"Oh yeah?" Ron bit back, squeezing his hand to stop the pain.

He really wasn't the mood for half-hearted apologies. He was supposed to be in London right now visiting Harry, but his mother had insisted that he finish his long neglected chores first. Unfortunately, they had taken much longer than he had anticipated.

"Yeah."

"Did Mum put you up to it?" he asked crossly, finally looking down at his sister.

Ginny looked properly sheepish. "Sort of," she mumbled. When she noticed the look on Ron's face she added, "So what if she did?"

"Whatever," he replied, brushing past her rudely on his way to the house. "I don't have time for this."

"Hey," she yelled, grabbing his arm and yanking him back around. "I'm not done."

Ron pulled his arm back and winced at the pain in his hand. "Yeah, well I am! I've got a nasty bite and I'd like to take care of it sooner rather than later if you don't mind," he yelled, holding up his injured hand to illustrate his point.

"Oh, sorry… got bitten again, did you?" Ginny asked with smirk on her face.

Ron scowled and began to storm away from her, angrier than before. He really was not in the mood for any of this. Today was the day that Harry would find out the outcome of his uncle's trials and Ron really wanted to be there for him. He just wanted to get his hand healed and be on his way. Unfortunately, Ginny wasn't willing to give up just yet and followed after him.

"C'mon Ron, I said I was sorry. Don't be this way!"

"And why not?" he yelled, turning on her again. "Why shouldn't I be after the way you treated us?"

"What about the way you treated me?!" she squeaked, her eyes suddenly filling with tears.

"What?" Ron asked in confusion. "We didn't do anything to you!"

"Yeah, well… I was hurt. You could have told me or something!" she shouted angrily, trying to hold back the dam of tears from cascading down her face.

Seeing her so distraught, calmed him down a bit. Ron sighed loudly and said, "Ginny, there was nothing to tell. Not until recently, anyway… Besides, we didn't want anyone to know. Not until we figured it out ourselves."

Ginny crossed her arms over her chest. "But you knew how I felt… How could you not say anything to me? How could you let me find out like that?"

Ron didn't know how to reply. They were both quiet for a long while as they stared at one another searchingly. They were so close when they were younger, but since entering Hogwarts they seemed worlds apart. They no longer knew how to talk to one another.

"I guess, I'm sorry too," Ron finally began, feeling some of his anger dissipate. "But you've got to understand that this is a lot to deal with. I've never cared about anyone like this before. And for it to be a guy? Well, it's still sort of weird. I didn't even really know that I was into guys…"

"I suppose I understand," she said quietly, wiping at a traitorous tear that had finally found its way down her face. "I am sorry…"

"I know."

"You have been through a lot together. I guess it would bring you closer.""

"Yeah."

"But I still wish things could be different," she said, looking away.

"I'm sorry," Ron said softly. He knew that if the situation were reversed he would not be holding up as well.

"You should probably get Mum to look at your hand," she said, changing the subject. She gently took Ron's hand into her own and examined it. "That looks like it smarts."

"It does," Ron admitted, taking his hand back.

"Are you going to go see Harry?"

He nodded. "We'll find out what happens to Dursley today."

"I hope they let him rot in jail," she said, crossing her arms over her chest once more. "I hate what he did to Harry for all those years."

"Me too…."

"Will you let him know I'm sorry… about the way I reacted?" she asked.

"Sure," said Ron. "But it'll mean more coming from you."

"I'm not ready to talk to him just yet," she admitted.

"Why?"

Ginny only shrugged in response. Ron suspected that she felt a little embarrassed about it all and maybe in some ways a bit rejected.

"You can come if you want to," he suggested.

Ginny shook her head. "I'm going to stay out here for a bit and enjoy the sunshine."

Ron looked at her in disbelief. "You hate the sun. It makes you freckle."

Ginny shrugged again indifferently. "I know, but I'm going to go for a walk or something. I need to clear my head."

"Alright," he replied, turning back towards the house once more. "See you later."

She nodded, gave him a sad smile, and walked away. He watched her for a moment, knowing that her unhappiness was something he had inevitably caused. Sighing, he entered the house and found his mother.

***

After having his hand healed Ron Flooed over to the Order's headquarters to see Harry. He arrived in the basement kitchen and toppled into something large and heavy in the fireplace.

"Oof!" said an unknown voice. "Watch it little brother!"

Ron untangled himself from the body and found himself staring at his eldest sibling.

"Sorry Bill! What were you doing in the fireplace?"

"Trying to Floo out, of course," Bill said, chuckling. "That was really bad timing. Never had that happen before."

"Merlin this isn't my day!" Ron complained, dusting the soot off his clothing. "First that stupid gnome and now this."

"Here to see Harry?"

Ron nodded. "Where were you going?" he asked. Bill was temporarily living at headquarters while he looked for a place to live and so that he could help the Order.

"Gringotts. Gotta head into work for a bit. The goblins acquired a chest that needs to be examined by a curse breaker. That means me," Bill said with a smile.

The family knew that Bill would have preferred to stay abroad, having enjoyed the adventure of exploring forgotten tombs, but he had insisted on moving back to London. With everything that had escalated since You-Know-Who's return, Bill felt it was important to help with the Order's cause and stay close to the family.

"Do you know where Harry is?" Ron asked, still dusting himself off.

"Probably still watching the telly, I suspect," said Bill. "Harry and Hermione have been watching some movie while waiting for you."

"A telly? Really?" he asked excitedly.

Bill nodded as he stepped back into the fireplace. "I gotta get goin'. See you around."

Ron saw his brother off before taking the stairs two at a time up to the main floor. He found his friends in the drawing room sprawled out on the couches facing a brand new television.

"When did Sirius get a telly?" Ron asked excitedly as he plopped down beside Harry.

"Hello to you too," Harry replied with an amused expression.

"Oh, uh hi…"

"Hi," said Hermione and Harry in unison.

"Sirius bought it when I moved in. He remembered how much we liked it when we stayed at Tonks flat," Harry added.

"What are you watching?"

Harry shrugged. "Some spy film."

"Brilliant!"

Ron settled himself a little closer to Harry and tried to make sense of what was happening on the screen. He saw the curious glance Hermione had given them, but chose to ignore it. They were still working out how their relationship affected their friendship with Hermione. Thankfully, she had been more than understanding about the whole thing.

"So when do we find out?" Ron asked, as he watched a high speed chase on the screen.

"This afternoon some time," Hermione replied.

She didn't have to ask what Ron had meant. Both of them had agreed to come over and keep Harry company while he waited to find out the fate of his uncle. They knew that he might need some moral support depending upon the outcome.

Ron nodded and leaned in a little closer to Harry. This could be a long afternoon, but he wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Remembering his conversation with Ginny only a few minutes earlier, Ron said, "Ginny apologized."

"Really?" asked Harry in surprise. "What did she say?"

"Sorry."

Harry chuckled. "I got that. Anything else?"

"Not really," he replied, his eyes never leaving the screen.

"Oh. I suppose that's good," said Harry, sounding relieved.

Ron nodded feeling better about it as well. Hermione didn't seem to think the conversation was over, however.

"How is she?"

"Alright, I guess."

"I hardly think she's alright," Hermione argued. "Was she upset?"

"Kind of, but I think she's over it now."

Hermione sighed and said, "Somehow I doubt that."

Ron looked at her curiously and saw the wistful expression on her face. He supposed she would understand more than anyone else. Ron had given her a lot of confusing mixed signals last year over the whole Krum affair. He still wondered how she was feeling about all of this.

Glancing back at the screen, Ron let himself forget about all that for now and got lost in the movie they were watching. After everything that had happened, it felt good to forget about it all and allow himself some mind-numbing entertainment.

* * *

After a rather busy morning, Arthur finally looked up from his messy desk and looked towards the Muggle clock that hung on the wall of his cluttered office. Noting the time, he realized that if he didn't leave soon, he'd be late for Vernon Dursley's sentencing. He quickly left to find Genevieve, his assistant, sitting just outside his doorway looking as though she didn't want to be there.

"Do you know where Jordan is?" he asked kindly. Jordan Mannon was his other coworker here in this department, and if he was going to leave then the younger man would be left in charge.

"Nope," she replied, never looking up from filing her meticulously manicured nails.

Feeling rather annoyed, Arthur asked, "Well, do you know when he will be back?"

"He didn't say… are you leaving _again_?" she asked, a look of disbelief crossed her face as she finally turned to look at him. Because of his place in the Order it wasn't unusual for Arthur to have to leave the office to handle various things.

"Yes. Please tell Jordan that I had to leave on another a personal matter, but that I will be back tomorrow morning. Understand?" he asked.

She nodded and returned to her nails. Arthur knew he had to address the problems with his assistant soon, but with everything else going on it was the last thing on his mind.

Stepping into the hallway outside his department, he quickly Apparated to a secure location near Marylebone Magistrate's Court, where Harry had originally testified. Fortunately, he had chosen to wear Muggle attire to work today so that he wouldn't need to change out of his normal robes. Genevieve had raised an eyebrow at his appearance, but thankfully had chosen not to say anything, assuming that his wardrobe was just another reflection of his curiosity of all things Muggle.

Arthur then swiftly walked the next two blocks until he finally came upon the courthouse. It was a rather large building, made of an elaborate combination of stone and red brick. The large arching windows on the ground floor were flanked by two sets of heavy wooden doors that led to the main foyer of the courthouse.

He hastily climbed the stone stairway out front and entered the doors on the right. He soon found himself in an immense foyer that had large vaulted ceilings. The walls had been lined with polished stone and the flooring was decorated with black and white marble laid out in an intricate pattern. Altogether the effect it created was one of strict formality. Large potted plants dotted the foyer, but the lush plants looked out of place against the harsh austere interior.

Arthur located the information desk to find out where the sentencing would be held and followed the directions down several corridors until he came upon the room he was looking for.

The courtroom was much smaller than he had expected. It was rather stark in comparison to marble entrance to the building. The walls were painted off white and the floor was covered in a dingy blue industrial-type hard surface that Arthur had not seen before. There were two small tables that flanked the judge's bench and a few rows of wooden chairs, but that was about it.

Criminal procedures in the wizarding world always took place in front of the Wizengamot and he expected something just as grand in the Muggle world. Perhaps the actual trials themselves had gone differently, for today was only a sentencing.

Arthur had learned that the manslaughter charge, which had been indictable, had been tried in the Crown Court. Usually the charges of child abuse would have been heard at a High Court, in the family division, however the judge who had overseen the criminal procedures was also a High Court judge, so he was able to oversee the civil case as well. Arthur couldn't be sure why a separate hearing was needed after both trials to sentence the guilty or why it took place in a different court building, but he supposed that was just one more thing about the Muggle world he'd never understand. He just found it fortunate that both sentences could be read together, instead of having to attend two separate sentencings, and that they had been scheduled so soon. They had been told that they may possibly have to wait months for a sentence to be delivered.

There were very few people in the small courtroom, including some that Arthur assumed to be officers of the court. Vernon and his lawyer were already present, and behind them sat a large woman that closely resembled Dursley. Arthur wondered if this was the "Aunt Marge" that Harry had blown up before his third year. He was a little surprised that both Petunia and her son Dudley were missing today. He knew that she had been relieved when she finally escaped her husband's tyranny, but part of him had wondered if she would remain loyal to him anyway. Still residing with her pen pal in Scotland, it appeared as though Petunia and her son were content to stay as far away from him as possible.

A small group, which Arthur assumed to be the family of the late Donald Keefer, was huddled together on one side of the room, still looking quite distraught over their loved one's death. Two gentlemen who appeared to be lawyers were seated on either side of them. Arthur understood them to be Arnold Smith, the court appointed prosecuting solicitor, and Dan Bowen, the lawyer who had tried the child abuse case for protective services. Though Arthur had never met them, both had taken Harry's testimony earlier this summer in the very building they were sitting in today. Tonks uncle, Albert Thompson, a lawyer who had acted on Harry's behalf during the interview, had kept them abreast of all the trial information since then, but was unable to attend the sentencings today. Thankfully, Tonks decided that there wasn't a need to obliviate her relative after all. He had proven to be an invaluable resource during all of this.

Arthur noticed at the last second that Tonks, Remus, and Sirius were sitting in the far corner and they waved him over. Sitting down beside them, Arthur leaned over and whispered to Sirius, "A bit risky for you to be here, isn't it?"

"I'm a free man," Sirius reminded him.

"Yes, in our world, but I doubt the Muggles understand that just yet. You were quite newsworthy last year when you escaped," Arthur responded. "What if someone recognizes you?"

"We'll cross that road when we come to it," he replied, looking smug.

"Shh… I think they are beginning…" Tonks hushed them.

"All rise… the honorable Judge Matthews is presiding," said a funny little man who had stepped forward as the judge entered the room.

Everyone in the courtroom rose to their feet. The judge, dressed in long dark red robes, stepped behind his raised platform and said, "You may be seated."

The sound of chairs scraping against the floor could be heard as everyone returned to their seats. The judged leafed through a pile of papers that he had brought with him until he found whatever he was looking for.

"We are here today to sentence Vernon Dursley on two separate charges of which he has been found guilty by a jury of his peers. Mr. Dursley, do you have anything to say for yourself before I begin?" asked Judge Matthews.

Arthur watched as Dursley rose from his seat looking quite indignant about it all. Clearing his throat loudly, he looked at a piece of paper in his hands that Arthur could only assume was some kind of prepared written statement, but at the last second the large man decided to forgo reading it altogether. "Your honor… this is all just a misunderstanding. I tried to explain before…"

Judge Matthews cut him off looking quite perturbed. "We are not here to plead your case. You have been judged and found guilty. Do you have anything to say in regards to your sentence?"

Vernon open and closed his mouth, looking very much like a fish out of water. In the end he said nothing at all and shook his head.

"Upon reviewing the presentence investigation report and the sentence recommendation of the court officers I can only come to the following conclusion… Vernon Dursley, you were found guilty of intoxication manslaughter, killing Donald Keefer while driving under the influence of alcohol. Your driving license has been revoked and you will be serving three to five years in prison. Having also been found guilty of gross negligence and child abuse of the nephew in your care, you will be serving another eighteen months in prison, consecutively. Considering your current financial situation and the fact that the deceased's family is now seeking retribution for damages in a civil law suit, the court will not collect any fines at this time. Are there any questions?" he asked.

The lawyers of both parties shook their heads in reply. Dursley could only stare ahead of him uncomprehendingly.

Nodding the judge said, "Good day," and quickly stood up and began to gather up his numerous papers before he left the courtroom.

"All rise…" said the funny little man once more. The courtroom rose to their feet as the judge left.

"That's it!" Sirius said loudly.

"Shh…" Remus warned. "Don't cause a scene!"

"That man abuses my godson and all he gets is _eighteen fucking months_!" Sirius shouted angrily. "He should be put away for life!"

"Now is not the time, Sirius," Arthur said firmly, grabbing the man by the arm so that he could lead him away.

"No, I want to have a word with the judge," Sirius began to argue as the Keefer family and the solicitors began to file out of the small room, glancing their way with interest.

"You can't," Tonks spoke up. "That's not how it works."

Sirius was about to protest once more when they saw the Bailiff approach Dursley and immediately place him in handcuffs. He said a quick goodbye to the portly woman who sat behind him during the trial. Harry's uncle was then led towards another door, but about half way there he noticed who was standing in the courtroom with him.

"You there!" Dursley shouted, gesturing with both hands towards Sirius since they were currently restrained together. "You're that crazy criminal of a godfather! You escaped from prison!"

The Bailiff stopped and turned to them in surprise, never once releasing his grip on his prisoner.

"Sir, I have no idea what you are talking about," Sirius replied, in the most dignified voice that he could muster.

"Yes you do! You're him! That freak!" Dursley shouted, struggling to get away from the Bailiff now. "God, what the hell is your name? I can't remember!"

"Come along now!" the Bailiff said firmly. "I don't want to use force!"

"No! I swear that's him!" yelled Dursley, struggling once more. "Arrest him. He's a freak. They're all freaks!"

"Let's go!" yelled the Bailiff, bodily removing Dursley from the courtroom.

They could still hear the man's protest down the corridor. "Wait! I remember-Black! He's Sirius Black!" he yelled.

"And now we leave," said Remus firmly, grabbing Sirius by the other arm.

Together, Arthur and Remus dragged Sirius from the courtroom before the officer returned. Fearing that they would never make it out of here, Tonks quickly located a cleaning supply cupboard. Huddled together in the tight little space, they locked the door and took turns Apparating out of there and returning to the Order's Headquarters.

"I can't believe the three of you!" Sirius had resumed his shouting as soon as they had arrived in the living room of Number 12 Grimmauld Place. "_Eighteen fucking months_! That's it?"

"He is also serving three to five years on the manslaughter charges," Remus quickly pointed out.

Sirius gave him an incredulous look. "What kind of court system do these Muggles have that allow a bastard like that to go free after only five years of imprisonment? He deserves a life sentence for what he's done!"

"The Muggles believe in reform," Tonks tried. "Some believe that inmates can go on to become better citizens after their terms."

"Reform? Do you honestly believe that _useless piece of shit_ will ever see the error of his ways?" Sirius asked.

"Well, probably not," Tonks muttered, looking uncomfortable.

"We should spring Dursley from the Muggles and throw him straight into Azkaban. A few days with the Dementors will do more than those meaningless sentences ever will!" said Sirius, his eyes blazing.

"Let's keep our voices down," Arthur tried, glancing around to see if there conversation had been overheard. Noticing the three teenagers standing in the doorway, he added, "Too late."

The other three turned their heads in the direction where Arthur was looking and realized that they had been overheard. No one seemed to know what to say. They all glanced at each other nervously and then back at Harry, Ron, and Hermione, at a loss for words.

Harry was the first to break the silence. "We were watching the telly in the other room when we heard you arrive. What happened?" he asked, his green eyes searching them cautiously.

Arthur sighed and revealed the outcome of both sentencings to the young teenager, not wanting to prolong the anticipation. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been waiting here at headquarters all day together to find out what would become of his uncle.

"Oh," said Harry, nodding. "I guess that's good then."

"Good?" Sirius asked in disbelief. "Good?"

Harry looked to his godfather with a bewildered expression. "Well, isn't it?"

"Don't you think that he deserved far worse?" Sirius asked.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. I suppose so, considering he did kill that man. But it was an accident."

Sirius quickly crossed the space between them and loosely grabbed his godson's arms in both hands and stooped down to look the boy in the eye. "Don't you think he deserved worse for what he did to _you_?"

Harry looked away, not saying any a word in response. Arthur noticed his son and Hermione share a knowing look, and could only wonder if the two of them understood something that they didn't.

"Harry, what he did to you was inexcusable," Sirius tried once more, looking quite shocked that his godson didn't think more of himself. "Don't you think he deserves to be punished?"

"I guess," Harry finally muttered.

"Well, I think it's certainly not enough. And if I had my way-"

"That's enough, Sirius," chided Remus. "What's done is done. Leave him be."

Sirius finally relented and pulled Harry into a quick hug, kissing him on the head affectionately. "We'll talk later," Arthur heard him whisper into the mop of hair on the boy's head.

"C-can I go back up to my room? I have some homework to finish," Harry asked politely.

"Sure," he replied, releasing his grip.

Harry quickly walked past his friends and the sounds of his feet climbing up the stairs echoed in the hallway. Ron gave his father a shrug and then chased after his friend, closely followed by Hermione, who looked sad and wistful.

"What's next?" asked Arthur, returning to business.

"Well now that the trial proceedings and the sentencings are over, we'll need to obtain and destroy the taped interview that Harry did," said Tonks, speaking up once more. "My uncle Al should be able to help with that."

"Is that really necessary?" asked Remus. "It could look pretty suspicious if this isn't handled well."

Tonks nodded firmly. "Absolutely. Can you imagine if that tape ever fell into the wrong hands? The wizard media would have a field day with it. Imagine how it would affect poor Harry?"

"I suppose you're right," Remus replied.

"Then I'll get right on it," said Tonks. She stepped back to Apparate away, but at the last moment she turned to Arthur and said, "If you see Bill, tell him that I said hi, okay?"

Arthur nodded with an amused look on his face, and watched as the witch left the premises with a loud crack. There was something definitely going on between his eldest son and Tonks, though he was sure it was still pretty innocent. He turned towards Sirius and Remus to say his goodbye as well, and saw the troubled expression on Sirius's face.

"Everything alright?" he asked.

"Sometimes I wonder if it weren't for that blasted car accident… that we might have never known what was going on in that household," Sirius replied.

Arthur and Remus nodded in agreement. It was something they had all thought and had shared before.

"And I just can't believe that Harry doesn't think his uncle should be punished," Sirius said softly.

"Neither did you when it was your father," Remus pointed out.

"That was different!" Sirius added quickly.

"Was it?" Remus pushed. "You ran away, but you never sought retribution. Why not?"

"I don't know… now that I think about it," said Sirius. "It just never occurred to me. There were too many other things to worry about with the war going on."

"I imagine the Harry feels the same," said Arthur. "Talk to him. He'll open up to you."

"I don't know if I will know how to," Sirius muttered. "We barely know each other… I don't even know what I'd say…."

Arthur smiled and clapped a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "You're a father now. The words will just come to you."

Sirius smiled at him, beaming that with his new guardianship over Harry that he was finally considered a parent in his fellow Order member's eyes. "Thank you, Arthur."

"No problem. I must be going now… Molly will surely want a full update, so I'd better be going home. Can you please see that Hermione gets home safely?"

"Sure."

"Oh, and will you send Ron back for dinner in a bit?"

"I'll try," said Sirius, chuckling softly. "But I can't promise anything."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Arthur curiously.

"Ron and Harry are inseparable these days," he replied with an amused expression.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "So I've noticed. They've always been close, but this is getting a bit ridiculous. For the life of me I can't figure out what has changed. Do you think it's the trauma over what happened in Diagon Alley?" he asked, remembering how they had almost lost Ron.

"Wait a minute. You don't know?" asked Remus, looking quite amazed.

"Know what?" Arthur asked dumbly. What were they talking about?

"Oh nothing," said Sirius giving Remus a knowing look. He pushed Arthur towards the fire place and helped him inside. "I'm sure you'll find out in time."

"Find what out?" asked Arthur, feeling bewildered.

Sirius just laughed as he threw down some Floo powder at Arthur's feet. Realizing that they weren't going to give up any answers, Arthur shouted his destination aloud. He soon found himself at home, and quickly found his wife in the kitchen.

"Arthur! You're home!" she said sweetly. "How did things go?"

"Good, but I will tell you later… first I want to know what everyone else seems to but me," Arthur demanded.

"What are you going on about?" she asked.

"Ron and Harry…"

Molly sighed, before gesturing towards the table. "You might as well have a seat, dear. This may take some explaining..."

Arthur complied and readied himself for the worst. After he heard what his wife had to say, Arthur was left feeling stunned. "So that's it?"

"That's it," she said with a smile. "I think it's rather sweet."

_Sweet_? Arthur didn't know about that. He was still reeling with the shock of it all, though he supposed he wasn't really surprised. The boys had been rather close lately. "I still don't understand why they didn't tell me? Why _you_ didn't tell me?"

Molly shrugged. "I think they tried to tell you the other day…and I was sworn to secrecy…"

"Oh," he replied, remembering that strange conversation that went no where that he had had with the boys just a few days ago.

"Matters of the heart are complicated, Arthur," she said, patting his hand affectionately. "You know that. The boys are just realizing what all of this means to them. They are still pretty young."

Arthur nodded, trying to accept the fact that he had been left in the dark about his son's relationship with his best friend. "I'm always the last to know these things. Everyone else know already?"

"Pretty much," she replied, looking quite awful that he hadn't been told yet.

"Even Ginny?"

Molly nodded.

Arthur raised an eyebrow in surprise. "How'd she take it?"

"Not well," Molly replied, grimacing at some memory.

"Is that why she's been so aloof?" he asked, watching Molly nod. "I just figured it was hormones or something."

Molly laughed. "If only it were that simple. Our poor daughter is suffering from a broken heart."

"But she's been pining for Harry for so long…"

"I know," she replied. "Believe me, I know. She'll come around though. "

"I suppose I should be happy for them, shouldn't I?" asked Arthur, still feeling bewildered.

"Aren't you?" Molly asked in astonishment.

Arthur sighed and took his wife's hand. "I don't know yet. This could mean a lot of hardship for them if the news ever got out."

"I know what you mean," she said, nodding in agreement. "I've already thought of that."

"But like you said, they're young. This might be just a silly school crush, right?"

Molly shook her head. "Somehow I doubt it. But no matter what happens, I believe they will always love each other in some sense."

"Love conquers all, doesn't it?" Arthur asked, leaning forward.

"Yes, it does," Molly agreed, kissing her husband on the lips. "Thank you for your understanding. The boys will appreciate it."

"I'm sure they'll be relieved," admitted Arthur.

"Now about the sentencings..." she began, watching her husband nod before revealing what had become of Harry's uncle.

_

* * *

_

Meanwhile…

Feeling rather unsure of himself all of sudden, Harry stormed up the stairs to his new bedroom. He had only been living here for a week or so since Sirius had gained guardianship over him, and it had yet to feel like home. His godfather had cheerfully helped to decorate the room so it didn't have the same haunted mansion sort of vibe that the rest of the house had going. But even after the fresh pale blue paint had dried and the new furniture was installed, it still felt somewhat artificial and forced.

Sirius had even insisted that Harry could leave his things about the room instead of keeping everything in his trunk like he was used to doing, but it hadn't helped to make him feel anymore at home yet. Harry assumed it was just going to take some getting used to. But how was he supposed to do that when they were leaving for school in a few days time?

Feeling unbelievably anxious, Harry crossed his room and stood at the window looking down at the garden below. He folded his arms over his chest and forced himself to think through his feelings, wondering why he felt so pent up emotionally. He generally tried to suppress or ignore anything uncomfortable, but he was feeling much too conflicted to pretend that he was really fine with it all.

This was what he wanted, right? For his uncle to punished properly for what he had put Harry through all these years. If he were really honest with himself, this hadn't been what he had wanted at all. In fact, he would have preferred if no one had ever known about any of it in the first place. But wasn't it better this way? He was finally free of the Dursleys and living with Sirius. So why did the situation still frustrate him so much?

Harry wasn't surprised when he heard Ron and Hermione pause in his doorway. He had expected them to follow him upstairs, but he wasn't sure he was in the mood for their inevitable questions right now.

"You okay, Harry?" asked Ron.

Harry merely shrugged, before turning around to face to two best friends a guy could have. Still feeling unsettled, Harry couldn't help but wrap his arms around his torso a little tighter, awaiting in the inevitable onslaught of worriment.

"Feel like talking?" asked Ron, moving closer to him now with Hermione at his side.

"Not really," he admitted.

"Alright," Ron said agreeably.

Harry nodded at him appreciatively. Out of anyone, Ron knew him best and it was a relief to know that he understood that Harry would talk to him later when after he had time to sort things out in his head. That's why he loved him so much.

Hermione, however, had other ideas. She had always been big on talking things out. "Alright? It's not alright, Ron. Harry's obviously hurting, and he needs to talk through this."

"I really don't Hermione, but thanks," Harry said curtly.

"But Harry… you can't possibly think that your uncle doesn't deserve to be punished, do you?" she asked, almost tearfully.

"Leave him alone, Hermione," Ron said firmly.

"I just think that Harry should-"

Ron shook his head and said, "Leave it!"

"But-" she squeaked as she tried again to be heard.

Ron had clapped a hand over her mouth to stop her. "If you know what is good for you, you'll leave Harry alone about this," he said, his voice sounding both playful and menacing at the same time.

Her brow furrowed in frustration, but she nodded just the same. When Ron took his hand away, there was a frown on her lips.

"Was that really necessary?" she said exasperatedly.

"Sorry," said Ron with a shrug, as if it were no big deal now. "You had to be stopped."

"You know Harry, your boyfriend is awfully pushy," she said, elbowing Ron good-naturedly in the ribs.

"I see that," said Harry, smirking at them both.

"But really, when you feel up to talking about-" she tried to continue.

"Hermione!" both Harry and Ron shouted in disbelief.

"Fine! Shutting up now!" she said, throwing up her hands in self defense.

"That one is clearly mental," said Ron, sticking his thumb in Hermione's direction, as he walked past her to sit on Harry's bed. They all laughed, feeling relieved that the tension in the room had finally broken. Harry and Hermione sat down as well.

"I'm bored now. What do you want to do?" asked Ron glumly.

"I don't know," Harry admitted.

"Do you guys want to finish your homework?" Hermione suggested.

Harry and Ron both groaned in annoyance. Leave it to Hermione to suggest such a thing. "Not really, but I suppose we should. We are leaving for Hogwarts soon," Harry admitted.

Ron nodded in agreement, but looked less than enthused about the proposition. "I guess we should get it over with. Hermione could you help me with my-" Ron began.

"Yes," she answered before he could finish, already knowing the subject that gave him the most trouble. "I'll look over your potions essay, but don't expect me to write the introduction or conclusion like I did last year."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Ron replied, looking satisfied.

The threesome set about gathering their things from their school bags and laid about the room and set to work. Used to each other's company, they worked peacefully and accomplished quite a bit in that amount of time.

A couple of hours later, Hermione glanced at her watch and suddenly jumped up. "Oh no!"

"What is it?" asked Harry.

"I was due home half an hour ago," Hermione complained, as she quickly began shoving her things back into her school bag. "My mum is going to be so upset with me."

"How come?" Harry asked, generally concerned.

Hermione sighed. "My parents hate it whenever I leave the house now. You know, because of what happened in Diagon Alley… they barely even let me come over today. They think that whenever I enter the wizarding world now, I'm putting myself in danger somehow. I understand it, I guess, but still…" her voice trailed off as she continued to rambled and pack. "Anyways, I better get going."

Harry and Ron stood up to follow her down to the living room fireplace, where she would most likely go to Floo home. Hermione smiled and held up a hand to stop them.

"Don't worry about seeing me out. I'm in a hurry now anyway," she said, reaching out to hug them both one at a time. "I probably won't see you again until the train on September 1st."

Ron rolled his eyes. "That's only a few days away," he muttered.

Hermione checked her watch once more as she slung her bag over her shoulder, looking stressed.

"I hope I didn't get you in trouble," Harry mumbled.

"Don't worry about it. I'm glad that you had me come over today," Hermione said quickly. "And I meant what I said before…"

"I know, thanks," Harry said, smiling at his friend genuinely. "See you soon, okay?"

"Okay. Bye guys!" she called, waving over her shoulder as she left the room in a hurry.

The pair that was left sat down beside one another on the bed, both feeling rather drained for such a long and uneventful day. They stayed that way for a long while, suddenly aware that the tension seemed to have returned without the distraction of Hermione or homework.

"How are you really doing?" asked Ron quietly, looking across the room instead of directly at Harry.

"Alright, I guess," Harry replied, letting out a long exaggerated breath.

"Really?" Ron asked, grabbing Harry's hand in his own. His blue eyes sought his own and Harry knew that it was okay to open up.

"I don't know…" Harry finally began. "I don't know what I'm supposed to feel really. I think that's the problem."

"What do you mean?"

"I think everyone wants me to feel relieved or something, but I'm not. I'm just feel irritated or something," Harry admitted. "Can't really describe it."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Sounds messed up," Ron said dully, though a smirk the crossed his face letting Harry knew that he was only teasing.

"Thanks a lot," Harry said, slugging Ron in the shoulder.

"At least it's all over with now."

"Yeah, I suppose," he said. "I still wish no one ever found out."

"You can't mean that," Ron said seriously.

"But I do."

"But then you would have never stayed at the Burrow this summer and we would have never have drunk those awful butter beers and had that blundering kiss and then we I wouldn't be able to do this…" Ron said, he leaning in to kiss Harry firmly on the lips.

Harry returned the kiss and they stay locked that for a short while, their tongues clashing against one another as they grew more confident. When they finally pulled away, Ron added, "But most importantly you wouldn't know how important you are to me and how much I love you…"

Harry smiled and replied. "I love you too."

Ron gently brushed aside the fringe of hair hanging down in Harry's eyes so that he could see him properly. Catching the bright green orbs with his own he said, "No matter what you feel about what happened, deep down you know that you deserved better. They had no right to hurt you…"

Harry nodded and then leaned forward and placed his forehead on Ron's shoulder. He tightly embraced the smaller boy and held him for a long while. He had not shed a tear, but Ron knew the anguish that Harry still felt inside.

In that moment Ron made himself a solemn vow. He would do what he could to mend whatever damage the Dursleys had done to Harry's fragile self confidence and show him the love he so rightly deserved. They were a team now, Harry and Ron. No matter what came their way, they would face life's challenges together.

* * *

Later that evening, Sirius knocked on Harry's door on his way to bed. He had thought about his conversation with Harry this afternoon all evening and felt that it was time they got everything out in the open.

"Come in," he heard Harry reply.

Entering his godson's room he found the teen reading in bed. "Awfully late to be reading, isn't it?" he asked, noting from the clock beside Harry's bed that it was nearly midnight.

"Didn't feel like sleeping just yet. Is that alright?" Harry asked, seemingly concerned that he might have upset his godfather somehow.

"Of course it is," Sirius replied.

He knew his relationship with Harry was still tenuous at best. Neither one of them really knew where the other stood just yet. Sirius was trying to understand how to be a "father figure" and his godson seemed constantly worried that he was doing something wrong. They had been walking on egg shells all week around each other for reasons neither of them seemed to understand.

"What are you reading?" Sirius asked, tilting the book back to look at the cover. "Potions?"

Harry nodded. "Just finishing up some research for homework."

Sirius screwed up his face in distaste. "I imagine that it is boring enough to help anyone fall asleep," he said playfully.

Harry laughed and put the book aside. "Is there something you wanted?" he inquired.

Sirius nodded and sat down beside him on his bed. "I just wanted to remind you that if you ever need to talk that I'm here for you."

"I know," Harry insisted, but refused to say anything more on the matter.

Sirius sighed and stared at his hands searchingly. He wanted so badly to be someone that Harry could confide in, but he didn't know how to begin building that trust. Arthur had assured him that when the time was right he would find the words, but he wasn't so sure now.

He took a deep breath and prayed that Harry would let him in, even just a little. "Do you remember what I told you about my parents?" he asked Harry, finally having the courage to say what he needed to.

"Yeah," Harry replied, swallowing thickly. "You said that they were followers of the Voldemort and that things got pretty bad for awhile."

Sirius nodded. "My family didn't like some of the choices I had made and I was ridiculed because of it. My father… wasn't a very nice man. He made me feel…like _shit_, for lack of a better word. Nothing I did was ever right and I paid the price if I did anything against their wishes."

"Your father used to beat you," Harry added, remembering their conversation earlier this summer.

"He did. And when things got out of hand, I ran away. Did I ever tell you where I went?"

Harry shook his head, "No."

"I went to your father's."

"Really?"

"Yes. The Potters were very good to me and they took me in, no questions asked," Sirius explained.

"You didn't tell them what had happened?"

"No," said Sirius. "I never did. Though I expected they always knew. So you see... I do understand how you feel. I was embarrassed and angry and determined to keep everything hidden. I never sought any kind of revenge on my father for the things he had had done to me."

He looked up at Harry finally and saw that his godson was beginning to understand. "So although I am glad that your uncle was punished for his treatment of you, I guess understand that you would have some reservations about it all."

"I hate that everyone knows what he used to do to me," Harry finally admitted.

"I know…"

Harry then asked, "Why didn't you ever tell anyone about your father?"

"For the same reasons as you, I imagine. I never wanted anyone to know," said Sirius. "I was mostly ashamed, but deep down I still felt like I deserved what had happened to me for some reason. I so badly wanted my father's approval, but nothing I did mattered…."

Harry's eyes began to shine and he sniffed to hold back the emotion he was now feeling. Apparently, Harry had felt much the same way.

Sirius continued. "It took me a long while to understand that it wasn't my fault that any of it had happened. There was something wrong with my father, not with me. The Potters helped me come to understand that," he said, smiling at the memory of the surrogate family and he come to love so much. "And I hope that I can do the same for you…"

Upon hearing his, Harry leaned forward and Sirius embraced him in a hug. "I'm proud of you for having the strength to do what I could not," he whispered in his godson's ear.

He held the teenager for a long while, knowing that no other words were needed. When Harry finally pulled back, he wiped away a few tears and looked sleepy now.

"Do you want to get some rest?" Sirius asked.

Harry nodded.

"Alright then, let's get you tucked in. We'll talk more tomorrow."

Harry smirked as Sirius tucked him into bed like a small child and turned off the night. "Goodnight," he said, kissing his godson on the forehead.

He then turned away and walked to the door.

"Sirius?"

"Yes?" he said, pausing in the doorway.

"Thank you," said the soft voice.

"You're welcome. Now get some sleep," he replied.

Sirius quietly closed the door, confident that things would only get better from here.

**THE END**

* * *

A/N: Well, that's it. It's finally done. Almost five years in the making and it's finally done. I never would have imagined that it would have taken me this long to complete, but working full time and being a mom takes it toll on the amount of time I have to write. I hope you all have enjoyed reading this piece of fiction as much as I have enjoyed writing it. It's my favorite out of anything I have written.

I hope to have more fics for you in the future, though I can't promise I will turn Shattered Illusions into a series like I did with my H/D fic. It requires too much energy and foresight. Sorry to disappoint anyone, but can you imagine continuing this story line through their fifth, sixth, and seventh years? Yikes! I have thought about doing a short epilogue that takes place 6 years in the future, where Harry runs into Petunia, but I haven't planned it out yet. Let me know if you are interested.

I have started a Charmed fic called Truths Unfold that is proving to be just angsty as my HP fics. So if you liked the show and are a fan of Chris's character, check it out!

Anyway, thanks again to all of your remarkable reviews. One humble request... I have a secret wish to see this story reach 1000 reviews. If you've read this far and have enjoyed the story, please leave me a review. Thanks again!


	26. Epilogue

Hi there…. no this is not a new chapter, but I am posting an epilogue! I have uploaded it as a separate story because of the length. I just wanted to give all my followers a chance to read it. I will be deleting this post after a few days since it doesn't contain the actual story. (Please don't report me for non-story related content). The new story is called:

**The Heart of the Matter**

**Summary: **One shot, AU. A few years after the end of the war, Harry comes across his estranged aunt and cousin. How does Harry handle the encounter and what family secrets will finally be revealed?

**Note:** This story serves as an epilogue to both _**Shattered Illusions**_ and _**She's Come Undone**_. _**Shattered Illusions**_is a HP/RW romance that takes place the summer after GoF. (Yes, it is slash!) _**SI**_mainly deals with the Weasleys and the Order discovering Harry's secret about his abusive home life after a terrifying car accident, but there are also many twists and turns along the way- including an encounter with Voldemort. _**She's Come Undone**_ is Petunia's story of what happens to her in the aftermath of Vernon's trial in _**SI**_ and is mainly a tale of domestic abuse.

_**The Heart of the Matter**_ takes place six years into the future, so Harry and Ron will be twenty-one. Each of the previous stories were written in a completely different perspectives, which I had to reconcile in order to write this one. After much deliberation, I decided to use third person omniscient, which is quite experimental for me. I hope you like the story, and I know this has been a long time coming. If you are not familiar with either story or if it has been a while since you read them, you may want to check them out once more. I think the epilogue will make sense without the reread but it would probably help. Hopefully it will explain a lot of unanswered reviewer questions.

_**Go check it out!**_


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